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The Chcrch of the Assumption, iMorristown, N. J 



THE 



STORY OF A PARISH 




1847 



4^ 



The First Catholic 

Church in 

Morristown, N. J. 

Its Foundation ^^^ 

and 

^^ Development 






189:2 



By the 




APR B 182.:. 



Very Rev. Joseph M:nF!ynn, R.D. 



Morristown, N. J. 
1892 



^ 



The LuiRARr 

i*¥ CONGRBSS 

WAsemotOM 






Copyright, 1892, by Joseph M. Flynn. 



THE COLUMBUS PRESS, 120-122 WEST SIXTIETH STREET, NEW YORK. 



TO 

®ur prebecessors in tbe jfaitb, 

BOTH CI.KRGY AND I,AITY, 

WHO 

SOWED IN TKARS 

THAT WK 

MIGHT REAP IN JOY : 

TO 

Zbc IRoble, 6enerous jflocft 

WHOSE PRAYERS, WHOSE GOOD WORKS, 

WHOSE GENEROSITY 

HAVE 

SUSTAINED AND CONSOI^ED HIM 

DURING THE 

DECADE OF HIS MINISTRY, 

THIS I.ITTI.E WORK 

IS I.OVINGI.Y DEDICATED BY 

TLbciv pastor^ 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER 1. 

PAGE 

The Sowing of the Seed. — Early Trials i 

CHAPTER n. 

The Jesuit Fathers Schneider and Farmer. — Don de 
Miralles. — Washington and the Irish Contingent. — 
Pioneer Catholics 8 

CHAPTER HI. 
The Mother Church, Madison. — Fathers Senez and 
McQuaid. — Building of the first Church. — The first 

Bishop of Newark 31 

CHAPTER IV. 
A Resident Pastor. — The Parish School. — Father D'Arcy. . $2 

CHAPTER V. 

Rev. J. Sheeran. — A new Church. — Archbishop Bayley. 

— Right Rev. M. A. Corrigan 6^ 

CHAPTER VI. 
Changes and Improvements. — Death of Archbishop 

Bayley 88 

CHAPTER VII. 

A promising Life ended. — The aged Pastor's last Illness 
and Death. — His eventful Life. — Bishop Corrigan 
transferred 104 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The Rev. Joseph M. Flynn.— Right Rev. Winand M. 
Wigger, Bishop. — A new Bell. — The Morris Plains 
Mission. . . . . . . . . .116 

V 



vi Contents. 



CHAPTER IX. 
The Sisters of Charity. — The Young Men's Association. — page 
St. Virgihus. — Morris Plains. . . . . .133 

CHAPTER X. 
Temperance Work.— Church Bonds. — A Pastor's Reminis- 
cences. — Cathohc Benevolent Legion. . . .146 

CHAPTER XI. 
The new Organ. — The Condit Property. — A Child of the 

Parish ordained. — St. Margaret's Chapel. . .156 

CHAPTER XII. 
The Jubilee Retreat. — A remarkable Cure. — Corner-stone 

of new School. — Bishop McQuaid's Address. . 173 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Blessing of the School. — The Young Men's permanent 

Home 190 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Paulist Mission. — St. Margaret's School. — Relic of St. Virgil. 
— A miraculous Healing. — The first American Catho- 
lic Congress. 211 

CHAPTER XV. 
St. Patrick's Day 1780 and 1890. — A new Rectory. — St. 
Margaret's enlarged. — The Burnham-Flynn Corre- 
spondence 229 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Re-dedication of St. Margaret's. — Friendly Sons of St. Pa- 
trick.— The Strike.— All Souls' Hospital. . . .248 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Parish War Record. — Gen. Joseph W. Revere. — Children of 

the Parish in the Confederacy 270 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
Memorials. — Children of the Parish in the Service of the 

Church. — Men's Societies. — A Catholic Mayor. . . 278 

Appendix. . 288 



PREFACE. 




AM not disposed to claim any merit for the 
labors of this narrative of events which have 
marked the origin and development of the Catholic 
Church in Morristown, New Jersey. I have written 
for my parishioners, and only when I was able to 
snatch a few leisure moments from other duties. 
Sometimes at long intervals ; sometimes m\^ pen had 
to be laid aside and the thread of my "Story" 
broken. I am aware that mine has been a difficult 
task. I have endeavored to put the facts truthfully 
and accurately, with no desire to hurt the feelings 
of anybody, or to reopen wounds long since healed. 
My flock, I am sure, will extend even to this 
work that same forbearance which in the ten 3^ears 
of his labor among them they have so graciously 
shown to their Pastor. If, perchance, these pages 
go beyond our parish limits I pray my critics to 
believe that the sole motive which prompted this ef- 
fort w^as to give expression to my gratitude to a 
generous, self-sacrificing flock — "to gather up the 
fragments, lest they perish," for the future chronicler. 

THE AUTHOR. 

Morristown , N. J., January 7, 18(^2. 

vii 



THE STORY OF A PARISH. 



CHAPTER I. 




'HE study of a Parish is somewhat akin to 
S^M^ the contemplation of a structure erected ac- 
cording to the strictest rules of architecture, 
embodying the genius of the designer, startling 
and pleasing all by the harmony of its parts 
and its adaptability for the purposes which called 
it into being. Symmetry, grace, and loveliness are 
blended in a serene repose, soothing the eye and 
elevating the soul, and around it play the sunbeams, 
the varying hues of Spring-tide and Autumn, the 
golden splendor of Summer, and the melancholy 
sadness of Winter with its high lights and shadows. 
How little, however, is thought of him whose fertile 
brain evoked the masterpiece of art, whose lofty 
conceptions are crystallized in the everlasting granite 
or spotless marble ! We know that Raphael, Bra- 
mante, and Michelangelo threw into St. Peter's the 
very heart and soul of their inspiration, to erect to 
the living God such a temple as the eye of man 
had never gazed upon. 

But there are other monuments which thrill no 
less the beholder, and the names of their crea- 
tors sleep in an impenetrable obscurity. The cross- 



The Stor y of a Parish, 



crowned fane, lifting to the highest heaven the sign 
of man's redemption, may tell us neither of him 
whose genius conceived nor of the toilers whose 
strong arm and cunning eye, in the burning heats 
of Summer, or in the chilling blasts of Winter, un- 
folded to the wondering crowds who daily watched 
their labors, step by step, inch by inch, the beauties 
whose finished product Time has preserved to us in 
many a shire of Britain ; by the glistening lake 
and verdant vales of Erin ; in sunny Italy, in fair 
France, and in the hallowed soil bathed by our own 
Potomac. To the humble laborer who dug the 
trenches, to the artist whose chisel carved foliage 
on cusp and capital, a share in our grateful mem- 
ory is due. 

Thus we, in a later generation, survey compla- 
cently the stately Church ; the spacious School, per- 
fect in its appointments with Hall and meeting- 
rooms ; the graceful Rectory ; the well-kept walks of 
the peaceful God's-acre ; but little thought we give 
to yonder moss-grown graves where repose the 
valiant Confessors who, in days gone by, kept alive 
and aloft the torch of faith, and, by unswerving 
fidelity and unflinching clinging to the Church of 
their fathers, made our present prosperity possi- 
ble. They laid the foundations deep and secure. 

Theirs it w^as to battle with poverty, and to 
wrestle with bitter prejudice. Theirs it was to share 
the contumely of Christ, to stand forth in defence 
of religion and fatherland, even, at times, at the 
cost of blood and at the sacrifice of fortune. 



The Legacy of Hatred, 



Theirs it was to bear the brunt of sneer and jibe, 
and to hear the ribald jest hurled at what they 
held most holy and sacred. Theirs it was to pro- 
vide for the wants of the flock of little ones, who 
clamored for bread and raiment ; to remember the 
poor old father and mother, left behind at Home in 
distress and desolation ; and, at the same time, build 
the humble chapel, devoid of art and naked of or- 
nament, save the Altar ; and support the Soggarth 
who cheerfully shared their poverty and the con- 
tempt which bigotry and ignorance heaped upon 
them both. Hat in hand, with faltering step and 
hesitating speech, our fathers asked for work. Their 
broad brogue, their quaint and odd attire, gave un- 
limited fun and amusement, until checked by some 
sharp, keen retort, which while it w^ounded, soothed 
by its spontaneity and brightness. 

Not rarely, indeed, was their going to meeting, 
and their attendance at evening prayer, made a con 
dition of their engagement. Starve they might and 
would ; but by any overt or implicit act deny their 
faith, never. With them, when it was question of 
faith, the motto was : Death before dishonor. 

The week's toil over, came the preparation for 
the long and weary tramp to the nearest Church. 
The women donned their best gowns and put on 
their brightest ribbons ; the men brought out their 
best suits, and wore the well-polished tile ; and so, 
off to the common meeting-place, whence with 
others, bent on the same duty as themselves, they 



The Story of a Parish, 



wended their way to Mass. Then the news was 
gone over : their trials, their loneHness for the Cha- 
pel, the goings on at Home, the bitter and, at times, 
almost intolerable persecution on the part of their 
masters and neighbors ; and thus, with gossip and 
mutual sympathy, they plodded on until the goal 
was at hand, the Church was reached. The little 
bell rang from the sacristy window ; all cut their 
stories short and hurried within. Perhaps they un- 
derstood little of what the good Father said in 
his broken English. What mattered it? — he was a 
priest; he heard their confessions, baptized their 
children ; offered for them the unbloody Sacrifice. 

They were fortunate who had friends in the 
town, for comfort and food were assured, and they 
would not go home hungry. By no means should 
it be inferred that the Catholics, in those days, were 
lacking in hospitality; but the instinct of the Celtic 
heart to avoid giving trouble, forbade him to step 
beyond the limits he had set for himself. If his 
foresight had not prompted him to bring along the 
meagre lunch, he turned his steps homeward, and 
waited until his good wife had prepared the frugal 
meal for his very much sharpened appetite. 

This is but a faint picture of what our forefathers 
and predecessors in the faith did so willingly for 
many years. 

The little Church at Bottle Hill was the shrine 
to which the Catholics of Morristown, Mendham, 
New Vernon, Basking Ridge, and Boonton went for 



A Pilgrimage of Duty. 5 

many years. Hither they brought their children to 
be baptized ; and at the foot of the Altar they 
pledged — the stout young Irish lad and the rosy- 
cheeked girl — their mutual love, and thence started 
on life's uncertain journey together. They have 
almost all passed to their reward ; but some few 
remain ; and the children of those departed remem- 
ber the spot consecrated by their footsteps, where 
they awaited the gathering of the faithful few from 
the neighborhood, in sunshine and rain, in Summer 
as well as in Winter, at Sneeden's Crossing. 

In these twilight days of Catholicity none pre- 
sumed to the dignity and convenience of a carriage. 
But all afoot, men and women, young and old, 
walked down the now unused road, which runs par- 
allel with the railroad track, to Madison. 

In times still more distant, the nearest Church 
was St. Peter's in Barclay Street, New York ; and 
more than one child was brought by slow stage or 
wagon to this venerable sanctuary for baptism. Old 
Thomas Burns, who came here about the year 1827, 
often told how he and William Collins walked all 
the way to St. John's, Newark, to make their Eas- 
ter duty ; and on their arrival met the congregation 
coming home from Mass. In their simplicity they 
feared to give the venerable Patriarch, good Father 
Moran, the trouble of hearing their confession ; and 
so they started for home, just as they had left, 
fasting ; and, no doubt, they would have fainted 
by the wayside had they not met a kind-hearted 



The Story of a Parish, 



Samaritan near the Summit, who gave them a lift 
as far as Madison. 

Tom never told without laughing heartily of his 
first situation in Morris Plains, and as part of the 
agreement was that he should attend school in Win- 
ter, the schoolmaster never allowed a day to go by 
that he had not something to say against the Pa- 
pists or Popery, and would glaringly fix his eyes on 
him, while the children shrank from him as though 
he were pest-stricken. 

We may wonder at all this in our present en- 
lightenment, and may not realize the extent or depth 
of the hatred which prevailed against the Church 
and against all those who professed her doctrines ; 
but this bigotry was to a large extent pardonable. 
They and their fathers were very near to the days 
of the great apostasy from the Church, which in the 
sixteenth century robbed from her bosom thousands 
of her children, and poured out on the scaffold the 
blood of priests and laymen who would not conform 
with their erroneous teaching. In the light of his- 
tory, which we fortunately now possess, and which 
increases daily, we see the extent of the lying, 
calumny, and cunning her enemies had recourse to 
in the accomplishment of their ends to plunder and 
rob, and utterly annihilate, the Catholic Church, 
which stood as an impenetrable barrier to the lust- 
ful Henry VIII. To the vice of marital infidelity 
must be added extravagance and greed, and these 
could be gratified only by plundering and robbing 



The Life of a Lie. 7 

churches and monasteries, on the pretext of the 
wickedness and excesses of the clergy. 

It is easy to fabricate a He, which loses nothing 
by its age, but seems to wax stronger and acquire 
a more piquant flavor by lengthening out its days. 
'' Lie, lie ! " said one of the most bitter enemies of 
the Church, ^^ always lie ; something will stick." 




CHAPTER II. 

)T is not easy to assign the date of the arrival 
of the first CathoHc in this favored region of 
New Jersey. We know that the Irish were sent to 
the Colonies by shiploads to be sold as slaves. This 
was during and after the invasion of Ireland by 
Cromwell, whose memory recalls deeds of blood, 
cruelty, and rapine. 

As the first settlers in Morris County came from 
Connecticut, it is not unlikely that they brought 
with them some unfortunate son or daughter of 
Erin, exiled and enslaved on account of attachment 
to faith. 

Father Schneider, S.J., was the pioneer priest in 
New Jersey, and probably crossed Morris County 
frequently. The road in those days crossed Schoo- 
ley's Mountain ; and through lonely forests and 
rugged by-paths the priest sought out the Catholic, 
and gave to the little household the consoling min- 
istration of our holy religion. 

Years before the Revolutionary War a Jesuit, 
Father Farmer, visited this section of New Jersey, 
on his way to Macopin, now called Echo Lake, 
where there was quite a colony of Dutch Catholics 
engaged at the furnaces, which afterwards turned 
out the solid shot the Americans used so effectively 
against the British. 

The early settlers of East Jersey had no desire to 



Father Farmer, SJ, 



harbor Catholics, and the freedom of conscience 
they were ready to extend to all believers in Christ, 
no matter how they might differ from themselves in 
religion, was not to include us : '' No person or per- 
sons that profess faith in God by Jesus Christ, his 
only Son, shall at any time be molested, punished, 
disturbed, or be called in question for difference in 
religious opinion, etc., etc. ; provided this shall not 
extend to any of the Romish religion the right to 
exercise their manner of worship contrary to the 
laws and statutes of England" {Laws of East Jersey y 
1698). Instructions to Lord Cornbury, on his ap- 
pointment as Governor in 1701, directed him to per- 
mit liberty of conscience to all persons except Pa- 
pists. 

The following, written on a slip, pasted on the 
fly-leaf of Father Farmer's Register: Yoic are to per- 
mit a Liberty of Conscience to all persons {except 
Papists),^ was a constant admonition to the zealous 
priest of the dangers he was running. Hence his 
dress failed to indicate his clerical character, and his 
manner befitted the physician rather than the priest. 
Thus he safely passed through the Jerseys, minister- 
ing to the faithful wherever found without molesta- 
tion. To throw off all suspicion, he wrote out the 
Missal with his own hand, and this he carried with 
him on his journeys. 

Father Ferdinand Steinmayer, or Farmer, as he 
chose to be called, was born in Suabia, Germany, 

* Instructions to Gov. Francis Bernard, of New Jersey, 1758. 



lo The Story of a Parish. 

October 13, 1729. He became a Jesuit in 1743, and 
arrived in this country in 1758. His field was the 
entire State of New Jersey, and it is evident that he 
visited Morris County regularly in the Spring and 
Autumn from 1768 to the time of his death. He 
died August 17, 1786. 

He is described as *^ of slender form and having 
a countenance mild, gentle, and bearing an expression 
almost seraphic.'* 

During the Leisler usurpation, 1688-89, ^ price 
was set upon the head of Major Anthony Brockholes 
and others who were denounced as Papists. Major 
Brockholes was a native of Lancashire, England, a 
Catholic, and very wealthy. To escape persecution 
he came, in company with Arent Schuyler, to New 
Jersey, and was enabled by his large means to buy 
extensive tracts of land in the central part of the 
State as well as at Pompton. Surely so wealthy 
and influential a man must have had a following, 
and in his service there must have been other 
Catholics. 

The recondite historian, John Gilmary Shea, who 
more than any, other knows the spots hallowed by 
the Missionaries of other days, in a letter to the 
writer says : '' Father Farmer notes a baptism at the 
Wall-kill, which the Philadelphia wiseacres translated 
Wall Street. The Rev. Francis Beeston was at 
Mount Hope and Hibernia in October, 1787 ; at 
Charlottenburg October 21, 1788, and at Mount 
Hope May 3, 1789. The Rev. C. Vincent Keating 



The Catholic Contingent. ii 

paid a visit to Mount Hope April 30, 1792. The 
Rev. L. Graessl was at Charlottenburg on April 25, 
1793 ; and on September 19, of the same year, he 
married, at the same place, John Philip Seeholster 
to Julia Vinyard. Father Graessl, elected coadjutor 
to Bishop Carroll, died before he was consecrated 
while attending the yellow-fever patients in Phila- 
delphia." 

Three days after the battle of Princeton, January 
7, 1777, Washington with his troops arrived in Mor- 
ristown, and took up his headquarters at the old 
Arnold Tavern, now the site of the Arnold building, 
on the west side of the Park.^ With him as aide 
was General Stephen Moylan, brother of the Catho- 
lic Bishop of Cork. 

Other Catholics among Washington's Generals who 
resided here at times between 1777 and 1779 were, 
La Fayette, Du Coudray, M. A. Roche de Fermoy, 
Kosciusko, De la Neuville, Armand, and Duportail. 

In the army was a large contingent of Catholic 
Irishmen, raised by Captain Thomas Fitzsimmons of 
Philadelphia, and enrolled in the Pennsylvania Line. 
Beyond the Hills, on the Wicke farm, reposes the 
dust of many a poor fellow carried off by the small- 
pox, which raged fiercely for a time among the almost 
starved and ill-clad patriots. 

On April 19, 1779, Don Juan de Miralles, a Span- 
ish agent, arrived in camp, accompanied by the Che- 

■^ Now standing in the Collis tract, Mt. Kemble Avenue, and known as 
the Colonial building, and purchased by the Catholics for a hospital. 



12 The Story of a Parish, 

valier de la Luzerne, Minister of France, and was 
almost immediately stricken down with pulmonary 
trouble, which ended fatally on the 28th. The Chap- 
lain of the French Ambassador, the Rev. Seraphin 
Bandol, hurried on from Philadelphia and adminis- 
tered the last Sacraments to the dying Spaniard in 
the Ford house, now Washington's Headquarters. 

An inaccurate and misleading account of the ob- 
sequies appeared in the Morristown Banner ^ 1889, to 
which the Very Rev. Dean Flynn made reply. As 
the statement contains a brief historical review of 
all the facts, it has been thought well to embody it. 

Count de Miralles. 

Eds, Banner : 

I have just read Mr. Pumpelly's pen-picture of 
Don Juan de Miralles' brief stay, death, and fune- 
ral in Morristown. Such sketches are sure to excite 
interest and are, at the same time, calculated to in- 
vest with a new charm our pretty city, rich in natu- 
ral beauty and in historic memory. 

A few inaccuracies, however, mar Mr. Pumpelly's 
communication. Don Juan de Miralles was not an 
envoy, but ^' an unofficial agent of the Spanish Gov- 
ernment, and was introduced in this way, that he 
might obtain a knowledge of the affairs of the 
United States, and communicate it to the Ministers 
of the Spanish Court. Spain was not yet ready to 
take an open and decided part ; nor, indeed, was 
she ever ready to regard the American people as 



Death of Don de Miralles, 13 

an independent nation till circumstances made it 
an imperious necessity/* {Am, Cath, Hist, Researches, 
vol. vi. No. 2, p. 62 ; Washington s Writings, vol. vi. 

p. 187.) 

Luzerne, moreover, wrote to Vergennes that Mi- 
ralles confessed to him that he had no instructions 
from the Spanish Court ; that his correspondence 
was with the Governor of Havana ; that the Spanish 
Ministry had signified their general approbation of 
his conduct down to the end of August last ; that 
he had received word from M. Galvez that he would 
be appointed Minister to the United States when 
the King should think proper to send one. (MS. 
Letter from Luzerne to Vergennes, March 13, 
1780.) 

The review of the troops with all its pomp and 
splendor, the fireworks in the evening, were all, ac- 
cording to Thatcher s Jourjial, in honor o-f the Chev- 
alier de la Luzerne: '^ On the 25th the whole army 
was paraded under arms to afford M. de la Luzerne 
another opportunity of reviewing the troops ; after 
which he was escorted a part of the way to Phila- 
delphia. The Spanish gentleman remained danger- 
ously sick of a pulmonic fever, and on the 28th he 
expired." {Thatcher s Journal, p. 151.) 

In his letter to Don Diego Jose de Navarro, 
Governor of Cuba, Washington writes that De 
Miralles honored him with a visit, and '' was seized 
on the day of his arrival with a violent bilious com- 
plaint, which, after nine days' continuance, put a 



14 The Story of a Parish. 

period to his life, notwithstanding all the efforts of 
the most skilful physicians we were able to pro- 
cure." {Washingtoii s Writings^ vol. vii. p. 27.) 

'' When Baron Steuben, on the 24th of April, 
had arranged the grand review of his battalions, to 
the delight of Washington, De la Luzerne and 
others, and that night, while the fire-works were 
flashing their beautiful eccentricities in the darkness, 
and the sounds of music and dancing were heard at 
O'Hara's, Don Juan de Miralles was tossing with a 
deadly fever. He died April 29, 1780." 

Thatcher says : ^' A Spanish priest performed ser- 
vice at the grave in the Roman Catholic form. This 
priest, the Rev. Seraphin Bandol, Chaplain of the 
French Minister, came to Morristown to minister to 
the sick man, and " Miralles received the last Sacra- 
ments with great piety and contrition." (Shea, ii. 
p. 178.) As the priest was Chaplain to the French 
Minister it is more than likely that he was French, 
and not Spanish. 

I fail to see " the seeming incongruity of such a 
funeral — such show in the very midst of such grim 
want and suffering among our brave troops." Don 
de Miralles was not an American. He had no per- 
sonal interest in the result of the war. He came 
hither as a Spanish gentleman, lived here as such, 
and the ^^ corpse was dressed in a rich state and ex- 
posed to public view as is customary in Europe." 
{Thatcher s Journal^ p. 193.) The jewelry, diamonds, 
etc., had been his personal property ; and his estate 



The Royalists and Popery, 15 

was large enough to pay the doctor's fees and the 
expenses of '' all the profusion of pomp and gran- 
deur/* The administrators of his estate acted then 
as such officials do in our day — gave him a funeral 
suitable to his condition and means, and in accor- 
dance with the customs of his country. 

Don de Miralles did not forget in his will those 
in whom he was interested. To each servant he 
gave a new coat. His Scotch boy Angus, held for 
a term of years, was to be liberated. His negro 
Raphael, wife and children, were to be given their 
freedom at the Havanna and two cavallaries of 
land. 

The trend of the editors of Rivingtons Royal 
Gazette and its patrons, not indeed towards the goal 
whither Washington and his brave army were striv- 
ing, but rather towards the tyranny which precipi- 
tated the revolt, will account in a great measure 
" for the rage of Congress at finding no corpse 
under the cloth, the body having been several days 
before interred at Morristown." The bugaboo of 
Popery was evoked then, as now, to frighten and 
terrify the ignorant. France had just concluded an 
alliance with the struggling colonies, an alliance 
which meant men, money, arms, and ammunition at 
the critical period when Congress was listless, the 
colonists powerless and discouraged, and Washington 
himself on the point of giving up the struggle. 
The royalists and their supporters saw that the 
turning point had come. Hence their rage, and the 



TO The Story of a Parish. 

bitterness of their invective. A hundred years ago 
what horrors Papist and Popery conjured up ! It 
was this irresistible fear that by the French alHance 
Popery was going to triumph here which disturbed 
Arnold's conscience, and which led him to the step 
which has branded him with eternal infamy. 

Not only Congress, but all those invited, knew 
that it was not the funeral of Don de Miralles but 
a service for the repose of his soul, in the Catholic 
Church (St. Mary's), they were called upon to at- 
tend. The invitation to Dr. Benjamin Rush reads 
thus : '' The French Minister has the honor to in- 
form Dr. Rush that there will be in the Catholic 
Church a divine service for the rest of the soul of 
Don Juan de Miralles at 9 o'clock in the morning." 
It bears the endorsement by Dr. Rush : " Received 
May 6, 1780, but declined attending as not com- 
patible with the principles of a Protestant." All 
honor to the candor and sincerity of this consistent 
Christian ! 

Ebenezer Hazard, writing to Rev. Jeremiy Bel- 
knap, of Boston, June 2"/, 1780, says: *' Soon after 
the Minister of France returned to Philadelphia he 
sent cards to a number of gentlemen, informing 
them that on such a day ' there would be a Divine 
Service at the Romish Church for the rest of the 
soul of Don Juan de Miralles.' I determined to at- 
tend, and upon going into the church I found there 
not only Papists, but Presbyterians, Episcopalians, 
Quakers, etc. The two Chaplains of Congress (one 



Ca T ho Lie Go VERNOR IN NE W J ERSE K I / 

a Presbyterian and the other a Churchman) were 
among the rest. I confess I was pleased to find 
the minds of people so unfettered with the shackles 
of bigotry. The behavior of the Papists in time of 
worship was very decent and solemn.'* {Belknap 
Papers, pp. 6i, 62, Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll.) 

In thus attending a Catholic service Congress 
was, no doubt, actuated by a desire to honor the 
memory of the Spanish gentleman, but likewise out 
of regard to the Minister of France, the ally of the 
United States ; and in some measure to conciliate 
the French Canadians, who had been made the an- 
tagonists and enemies of the struggling republic by 
the bigotry of John Jay. 

At a memorial service in the Catholic Church 
there is erected a catafalque, having the appearance 
of a coffin. Nobody is deceived, as none was de- 
ceived years ago when the mock funerals, casket, 
hearse, pall-bearers, etc., traversed the streets of the 
principal cities of the Union, to the booming of 
minute guns and tolling of bells at the same mo- 
ment that his fellow-citizens in Springfield were 
bearing the remains of the martyr-patriot Lincoln to 

their last resting-place. 

Joseph M. Flynn. 

P. S. — It may be of interest to know that two 
hundred years ago this coming Autumn John Ta- 
tham, a Roman Catholic, was elected to the highest 
position in the gift of the Proprietors, that of Gov- 
ernor of East and West Jersey. J. M. F. 



1 8 The Story of a Parish, 

The Journal of Dr. James Thatcher, Surgeon to 
the Revolutionary Army, contains a very graphic 
account of this the first public Catholic funeral in 
Morristown : 

^^2gih April, 1780. — I accompanied Doctor Schuy- 
ler to headquarters to attend the funeral of M. de 
Miralles. The deceased was a gentleman of high 
rank in Spain, and had been about one year resi- 
dent with our Congress from the Spanish Court. 
The corpse was dressed in a rich state and exposed 
to public view, as is customary in Europe. The 
coffin was most splendid and stately, lined through- 
out with line cambric, and covered on the outside 
with rich black velvet and ornamented in a superb 
manner. The top of the coffin was removed to dis- 
play the pomp and grandeur with which the body 
was decorated. It was in a splendid full dress, con- 
sisting of a scarlet suit, embroidered with rich gold 
lace, a three-cornered gold-laced hat, and a genteel 
cued wig, white silk stockings, large diamond shoe 
and knee buckles, a profusion of diamond rings 
decorated the fingers, and from a superb gold 
watch, set with diamonds, several rich seals were 
suspended. His Excellency, General Washington, 
with several other general officers and members of 
Congress, attended the funeral solemnities and walk- 
ed as chief mourners. The other officers of the 
army, and numerous respectable citizens, formed a 
splendid procession, extending about a mile. The 
pall-bearers were six field officers, and the coffin 



Burial of Don de Mir a lies. 19 

was borne on the shoulders of four officers of artil- 
lery in full uniform. Minute guns were fired during 
the procession, which greatly increased the solem- 
nity of the occasion. A Spanish priest performed 
service at the grave in the Roman Catholic form. 
The coffin was enclosed in a box of plank, and all 
the profusion of pomp and grandeur were deposited 
in the silent grave in the common burying-ground, 
near the Church at Morristown. A guard is placed 
at the grave lest our soldiers should be tempted to 
dig for hidden treasure. It is understood that the 
corpse is to be removed to Philadelphia. This gen- 
tleman is said to have been possessed of an im- 
mense fortune, and has left to his three daughters 
one hundred thousand pounds sterling each. Here 
we behold the end of all earthly riches, pomp and 
dignity. The ashes of Don de Miralles mingle with 
the remains of those who are clothed in humble 
shrouds, and whose career in life was marked with 
sordid poverty and wretchedness (p. 193)." 

The body of this distinguished nobleman was 
exhumed and sent to Spain, but in what year 
the most careful investigation has failed to ascer- 
tain. 

Mr. John Gilmary Shea wrote to the keeper of 
the archives at Madrid, who furnished him much 
valuable information, but could not find any docu- 
ment relating to Senor de Miralles. 

On the farm now occupied by the Hubbard 
family, about one-half mile from Whippany, on the 



20 The Story of a Parish, 

Troy road, very near the old homestead, which is 
perhaps older than Washington's Headquarters, are 
the graves of Captain Michael Kearney and his sis- 
ter Isabella. 

It is said that at one time the doughty Captain 
owned nine hundred and ninety-nine acres ; and this 
tract was called the Irish Lott. Here the courtesy 
and urbanity of the Captain attracted friends from 
far and near. His hospitality and good cheer made 
him hosts of friends, who crowded his stately man- 
sion ; for such, indeed, it was in those days. The 
present occupant of the farm states that the hands 
from time to time come across the wells which 
were located near the dwellings of the Captain's 
servants and slaves. It is said that the King gave 
him as much land as he could traverse in one day 
on horseback. The grave-yard which contains his 
remains, the spot selected by himself, on a charm- 
ing knoll with pleasant views of hill and woodland 
on every side, is now in a sadly dilapidated condi- 
tion. On the huge stone which covers his remains 
is the following inscription : 



Captain Michael Kearny, 21 



Sacred 

To the Memory of 

CAPTAIN MICHALE KEARNY 

of His 

Brittanic Majesty's Navy. 

He departed this Life at 

The IRISH LOTT 

The Seat of his Residence in Hanover 

On the 5 day of April A.D. 1797 

Aged 78 years 6 months and 28 days. 

In the Naval Service he w^as a brave 

And Intrepid Officer which secured to 

Him several marks of distinguished 

RESPECT and CONFIDENCE. 

In private Life he exercised the Virtues 

Of Benevolence, Hospitaety and 

Genteel Urbanity. 

Adjoining this grave is that of his sister, and on 
her tombstone is the following: 



J. K. J. K, 

Sacred 

To the Memory 

of 

ISABELLA KEARNEY, daughter of 

Michael Kearney and Sarah Kearney, 

late Sarah Morris, of Morrisania, 

v^ho died on the 14th of February 1806 

at the seat of the late Captain 

Michael Kearny in the County of 

Morris in the 90th year of her age. 



22 The Story of a Parish, 

It does not appear that these Kearneys were 
Cathohcs. The descendants of Captain Kearney 
moved to Amboy, and one of them achieved fame 
in the United States Navy. It is claimed that 
PhiHp Kearney, the hero of Chantilly, was descend- 
ed from Captain Michael Kearny ; so, likewise, the 
present General J. Watts Kearney, himself a Catho- 
lic and all his family, has sprung from this illus- 
trious Celtic stock. 

It was when Washington's Army was encamped 
in Morristown that the Father of his Country inau- 
gurated the first national celebration of St. Patrick's 
Day. These facts are taken from the Order Book, 
one of the many treasures to be seen in the Wash- 
ington Headquarters, Morristown, N. J. 

General Orders issued to the Troops encamped at Mor- 
ristozvn, N. J., by Wasliington, March i6th, ij8o. 

Headquarters, Morristown, N. J. 

March i6th, 1780. 

Officers for duty To-morrow : 

Brigadier-General Clinton, 
Major Edwards, 
Brigade Major Brice. 

The General congratulates the Army on the 
very interesting proceedings of the Parliament of 
Ireland, and of the inhabitants of that Country — 
which have been communicated, not only as they 
appear calculated to remove those heavy and Tyrran- 
nical oppressions on their trade ; but to restore to 
a brave and generous people their ancient Rights 



Washington and St, Patrick's Day, 23 

and Freedom, and by their operation to promote 
the cause of America. Desirous of impressing on 
the minds of the Army transactions so important 
in their nature, the General directs that all Fatigue 
and working parties cease To-morrow the seven- 
teenth, a day held in Particular regard by the peo- 
ple of that Nation. At the same time that he 
orders this as a mark of pleasure he feels on the 
Occasion, he persuades himself that the celebration 
of the day will not be attended with the slightest 
rioting or disorder. The Officers to be at their 
Quarters in Camp and the Troops of each State 
are to keep within their own encampment. 

Pennsylvania Line, 

Division Orders, 

March 17th, 1780. 
The Commanding Officer desirous that the cele- 
bration of this day should not pass by without hav- 
ing a little Rum issued to the Troops, has thought 
proper to direct Commissary Night to send for a 
hogshead which the Colonel has prepared for this 
express purpose in the vicinity of Camp. While 
the Troops are celebrating the anniversary of St. 
Patrick in innocent mirth and pastime he hopes 
they will not forget our worthy friends in the King- 
dom of Ireland who with the greatest unanimity 
have step'd forth in opposition to the Tyranny of 
Great Britain, and who like ms are determined to 
be free. The Colonel expects the Troops Will con- 
duct themselves with the greatest sobriety and good 
order. 

Signed : FRANCIS JOHNSTON 

Col, Corndt 2d Penna, Brigade. 



24 The Stor y of a Parish. 

It will be seen by the above that in the Penn- 
sylvania Line were many Irish, both officers and 
soldiers ; and in the Official Register of the Officers 
and Men of New fersey m the Revolutionary War, 
compiled under the administration of Governor 
Theodore F. Randolph by Adjutant-General Stry- 
ker, a cursory glance shows that many of the New 
Jersey Regiments contained a liberal number of 
Irishmen, over four hundred ofificers and soldiers 
with unmistakably Irish names being credited to 
the Southern Counties. 

It is quite certain, then, that during the winters 
of 1779 and 1780 the number of Catholics in and 
around Morristown far exceeded the number of 
Catholics at present in our Parish, made up of the 
Irish Catholics in the Pennsylvania, New York, and 
New Jersey regiments, and the French and Polish 
officers attached to the line. 

The condition of the faithful at this period was 
most pitiable. Owing to the suppression of the 
Society of Jesus, induced by the Bismarck of Por- 
tugal, Pombal, the tireless missionaries who had 
labored with so much zeal and fruit were powerless 
to continue their great work. 

The Bishop saw and recognized the urgent neces- 
sity of faithful. God-fearing laborers for the Lord's 
vineyard ; but where were they to be found ? The 
French Revolution had sent the flower of the 
priesthood to England and some few to the United 
States, among them the illustrious Brute, Cheverus, 



A Flock without a Shepherd, 25 

Marechal, Dubois, and Flaget. But what were 
these few in the harvest-field ? Our Cathohc pre- 
decessors were scattered far and wide in almost 
every county of the State. Shipwrecked on the 
Jersey coast, the Irish emigrants settled on a spot 
known then, as now, as Irish Mills ; thence they 
wandered into Salem, Camden, Hunterdon, and Mor- 
ris Counties. 

Without Priest or Mass, except on very rare 
visits from Father Farmer, they were married by 
the Squire or Magistrate; and their children, if they 
themselves did not, attended the Protestant Church 
for the reason that it was the only one in the 
neighborhood. Their companions and associates 
were of an alien faith. 

It is not surprising, then, that the Celtic names 
which prevailed in Morristown in the first quarter 
of the present century are not found on our Church 
Records. 

With their faith the children lost likewise the 
distinctive character of their family names. McGee 
becomes in its filtered state Magee ; McCarthy be- 
comes Mccarty ; Kearney becomes Kerny or Kear- 
ny ; Callahan becomes Callinap ; Raferty becomes 
Raverty. All these names still prevail in our midst 
and are the indices of both the country and re- 
ligion of their progenitors. 

A list of letters, uncalled for in the Post-Office 
October i, 1807, contains the following names: An- 
drew Darsey, Michael Flaherty, John Kelly. Who 



26 The Story of a Parish. 

were they, whence came they, or whither did they 
go, none knows. 

It is just possible that they may have been sol- 
diers whose hearts, perhaps, were smitten by some 
fair maiden in Morris ; for, as we know, the Celt's 
heart is very susceptible to Cupid's charms, and 
once in the meshes he falls a willing victim. 

In a Morristown paper appeared the following 
amusing card, which points but too clearly to the 
nationality of the writer : 

A COWARD. 

Whereas, a certain little sharp-faced son of Vul- 
can has frequently challenged the subscriber to a 
single combat, saying *^ the Hibernian he could 
whip." And whereas, I have week after week wait- 
ed upon said bragadocia, and have always found 
that he had drawn in his horns: Now I do hereby 
pronounce him a coward and a mushroon, and 
shall in future think him beneath my notice. 

Henry Byrne. 
Morris Town, October 14, 1 812. 

Two years later appeared an advertisement : 

For Sale. — That valuable Tavern Stand, most 
pleasantly located, situated on the West side of 
Morris Green. 

Elizabeth O'Hara. 
January 13, 18 14. 

It is generally believed that the O'Haras kept this 
hotel during the Revolution. 



A Pioneer Catholic, 27 

In a conversation, which the writer had in Feb- 
ruary, 1 88 1, with a bright, motherly old lady, who 
with her husband came to this country from a little 
town in the County Cavan in 18 16, the following 
interesting facts were gleaned : 

'^ I shall begin my story with my arrival in New 
York. In those days two sail-boats served as a 
ferry to convey passengers from the City to Paulus 
Hook, now Jersey City. 

'*We crossed over to Paulus Hook, and hiring a 
wagon we started on our journey to Caldwell. 
There was only one street in Jersey City, called the 
Rope Walk. After an all day's ride we arrived in 
the evening at Caldwell. There was not a single 
Catholic in the neighborhood. 

'^ You may imagine how we felt, and you will 
not be surprised that in a few months we moved 
to Macopin, where we heard there was quite a 
gathering of Catholics. A year or two before our 
arrival Charley O'Brien died in Newfoundland, some 
miles distant from Macopin. He went there to 
teach school, saved his money, bought land, built 
factories, and soon was the wealthiest man in that 
section. He owned as far as he could see, and was 
the first to build bark factories and an iron mill. 
Charley was taken sick, and sent to New York for 
a priest. The priest came all the way on horse- 
back, and the close-fisted sick man gave him five 
dollars for his trouble. He left him, however, fifty 
dollars in his will ; but his heirs never executed the 



28 The Story of a Parish, 

wish of their father, and the priest never saw a 
penny of his legacy. But his possessions melted 
away, and eventually his only son died in the poor- 
house." 

Thus ends the story of dear old Mrs. Littell, 
long since passed to her reward ; always staunch in 
the faith, her hospitable roof sheltered more than 
one missionary, bent on his search after the lost 
and strayed sheep; generous and lavish in pros- 
perity, patient and cheerful in adversity, she was a 
type of the pioneer Catholic. 

To Bottle Hill, now Madison, driven from their 
homes and land by the fury of the French Revolu- 
tion, came goodly numbers of French aristocrats 
known as emigres, and to these were added other 
French families who were obliged to flee from the 
island of Guadeloupe when the slaves rose up in 
rebellion against their masters. Many of their de- 
scendants still with us were the seed of Catholicity 
in this county. 

Van Schalkwick Beauplands, the Boisaubins,* 
Basmont, Roche-Fermoy, Cornet de St. Cyr, Blan- 
chets, Lavaal Duberceau, and Thebauds are names 
illustrious not only by their birth, but likewise for 
their robust faith. Amidst the prejudices which pre- 
vailed a hundred years ago they clung to the old 
Church, to its practices and its creed. Visits were 
occasionally made to them by the Rev. Anthony 

* Vincent Boisaubin Beaupland, who is buried in Morristown, was an 
officer of the body-guard of Louis XVI. 



First Mass at Bottle Hill, 29 

Kohlman, SJ., and the Rev. John Power, pastor of 
St. Peter's Church, Barclay Street, New York. 

It is said that one O'Hara taught a classical 
School in Morristown in the first decade of this 
century, which was the germ of the subsequent 
McCullogh School. 

In 1825 Charles Berault, a Catholic and a native 
of San Domingo, lived in the Revere House on 
DeHart Street. He married a Mile. Des Abbeyes, 
also of a wealthy San Domingo family. Another 
daughter was Madame Chegarray, who taught a 
fashionable Young Ladies' Academy, afterwards 
purchased by Bishop Bayley, and the cradle of 
Seton Hall. This is now the property of the Sis- 
ters of Charity on the old Convent road to Madi- 
son. 

A certain Benjamin Douglas kept a Diary, now 
in the possession of the Brookfield family, his de- 
scendants, which contains the following entries : 

" The first Roman Catholic service performed 
in the Township of Chatham was in the house of 
Lavaal Duberceau, at Bottle Hill, Sunday July 30th, 
1825, by Rev. O'Donahue. Text, fifth chapter of 
Galatians." 

Father O'Donahue visited Madison once a month 
from Paterson and said Mass in the upper part of 
the Academy. His Sunday evening instructions 
were attended by large numbers of non-Catholics. 
His light-hearted gaiety drew to him the hearts of 
all, especially the children. 



30 The Story of a Parish. 

Once when on his way to Macopin with Father 
Bulger, a furious down-pour of rain drenched them 
both to the skin. When they arrived at Mr. Lit- 
telFs the good host's wardrobe was rummaged and 
soon the priests were arrayed in picturesque cos- 
tumes more or less entire. Father Bulger was the 
more fortunate in finding a complete outfit ; and, 
while he sat near the big log fire reading his bre- 
viary by the canny light. Father O'Donahue in shirt- 
sleeves and very roomy trousers amused the young- 
sters with his feats of ventriloquism. 

The early part of this century is for Catholics 
the period of the Dark Ages. The records, if kept, 
have been lost or destroyed ; or, perhaps, hidden 
away in some musty chest. Almost all the grena- 
diers who planted the faith hereabouts, amid tears 
and bitter trials, have passed to their reward ; and 
the traditions have either utterly died out or be- 
come woefully entangled. At the Cathedral in New 
York there are no archives. 

Paterson is the mother church of Northern New 
Jersey, and from this centre the priests made their 
round of duty through Passaic, Morris, Sussex, and 
Warren Counties. The best-known of these pio- 
neer priests is Father Bulger, who was at Paterson 
in 1822. His remains are interred in front of the 
old St. Patrick's Church, New York City. 



l?i> 




Rev. L. D. Senez. 




CHAPTER III. 

!N 1834 the Catholics of Madison had the 
blessing of a resident priest, the Rev. Fa- 
ther Herard. The parish is reported vacant in 1839. 
On January i, 1840, the Rev. Richard Newell open- 
ed the baptismal and marriage registers of St. Vin- 
cent's Church, Madison ; and his last entry bears 
the date October 16, 1842. 

Dr. Newell enjoyed the confidence and esteem 
of his congregation. When he bade his flock fare- 
well the touching scene was one not to be forgot- 
ten. His voice trembled with emotion, and his 
words were scarcely audible amidst the sobbing and 
sighs of the congregation ; even now the old folks 
cannot recall the memorable day without emotion. 
He died quite recently. His successor was the 
learned Ambrose Manahan, afterwards pastor of St. 
Joseph's, New York, but resident in Madison until 
after April, 1844. 

February 6, 1843, Amedee Boisaubin, the founder 
of the Church in Madison and its most generous 
benefactor, went to his reward. The religious ser- 
vice, both at the Church in Madison and at the 
grave in the Cemetery of the First Presbyterian 
Church, Morristown, was conducted by Father 
McCloskey, who was subsequently raised to the 
dignity of Bishop of Albany, Archbishop of New 
York, and Cardinal of Holy Church. 

31 



32 The Story of a Parish, 

From August, 1844, to January, 1845, the Madi- 
son Mission was in charge of the Rev. Patrick 
Kenny, who died in the South. For five months a 
Rev. Father Joseph attended the spiritual wants of 
the parish, until the advent of the Rev. Dominic 
Senez. 

Father Senez presents to his fellow-priests a 
well-rounded, laborious, and fruitful career. From 
the golden summit which he reached in 1890, when 
in obedience to his Bishop he yielded to a strictly 
local celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of his 
ordination, what a vista — from the Seminary of St. 
Sulpice to the sanctuary of St. Mary*s, Jersey City 
— stretches out before him ! 

Cardinal Pie, the converted Jew Ratisbon, and 
hosts of other classmates who in every clime have 
added to the conquests of Mother Church, lustre to 
the venerable name of Jean-Jacques Olier, and 
other names to the roll of Martyrs, have fought the 
good fight and long since passed to their reward. 
Almost alone he remains, a living witness of the 
piety and zeal which, in Matignon, Cheverus, Brute, 
Dubois, pierced the bigotry and anti-Catholic hatred 
of Puritans and attracted their respect and sym- 
pathy. 

If Father Senez would consent to narrate the 
experience begun in the missions of Morris, Sussex, 
and Warren Counties, there would be no brighter 
pages in Christian annals. To pass to his reward 
without leaving to us this inheritance of his efforts 



Father Senez in 184.5, 33 

to keep the little flock within the fold of the 
Church, and to bring the light of truth to those 
who sat in darkness, would indeed be an irrepa- 
rable loss. 

With almost no knowledge of the language of 
those entrusted to his care, without any other trea- 
sure than that garnered in the sacred precincts of 
the Seminary, he came among us in the Autumn 
of 1845. 

This was for him the morning of an unclouded 
life. Late and early he bore the heat and burden 
of the day. He went to every gathering of the 
country folk — vendues^ as the auction-sales in those 
days were called — and there searched for the price- 
less jewels of men's souls. 

"' The first time I saw Father Senez," said old 
Tom Degan, '' was at a vendue near Madison." 

^' If I am not mistaken," said the good priest, 
accosting Tom and his wife in broken English flavor- 
ed with a strong French accent, ^^you are an Irish- 
man and a Catholic." 

'^ And if I am not mistaken," replied Tom, *^ you 
are a Catholic priest." 

This was their mutual introduction. There was 
no road throughout the three counties he did not 
traverse. 

Sometimes while making inquiries about Catho- 
lics, or the road, he unexpectedly found one of the 
faithful. It was just this way when, arrived near 
the banks of the Delaware River, he discovered a 



34 The Story of a Parish. 

Catholic family living near Montague, and baptized 
the little ones. The oldest son is an honored and 
distinguished priest in New Jersey. Generally by 
carriage he made his visitation, owing to the fact 
that no railroad facilities existed. In his carriage, 
too, he slept ; for the hostelries at that time, while 
maintaining a reputation for good cheer, put forth 
no claim for the virtue which ranks next to godli- 
ness. 

Once, it is said, he sat down to a smoking-hot 
dinner of chicken pot-pie and all the accessories 
which tickle an appetite already over-sharpened by 
a long drive and a long fast, and was on the point 
of beginning the attack, when the Irish Catholic 
waitress whispered in his ear : 

'' Father, it is Friday." 

"• Well, now," laughed the priest good-humoredly, 
*^why did you not wait to tell me after I had fin- 
ished my dinner? " 

At another time, near Mount Hope, he treated 
the faithful to the solemnity of a High Mass. The 
church was the shelter of the forest, whose stately 
trunks rose up on every side, whose interlaced 
branches formed the roof. Two of the men held 
up a sheet on the weather side of the altar, to 
shield the priest from the wind. The choir was the 
priest's serving-man, who sang the entire service un- 
assisted by instrumental or vocal accompaniment. 

In addition to this field, Newark, Paterson, and 
Jersey City have been hallowed by his apostolic 



The Past and the Present, 35 

zeal ; and in these congregations still lingers the 
aroma of his spirit. 

When he first visited this desolate and disheart- 
ening field there was but the one Church, that at 
Madison, erected by the generosity of a devout 
child of France. But Madison has been the fruit- 
ful mother of many children. No fewer than twen- 
ty-three Catholic Churches lift to heaven the Cross 
in the three counties which were the limits of 
Father Senez's first parish. 

New Jersey now has two sees, Newark and 
Trenton ; two hundred and eighty-eight priests ; and 
a Catholic population of two hundred and forty-five 
thousand. 

Of the half-dozen fellow-harvesters all — the patri- 
arch Moran, the saintly Kelly, the tireless, jovial 
Rodgers, the impetuous 0*Reilly, the venerable 
Father Balleis — all are gone save Father Senez, 
whose days may God lengthen to be for us a re- 
minder of His mercies to past generations, as a 
model to us of the present ! 

More could be said — more, indeed, should ; but 
humility bars the way. His is it to unlock those 
treasures whose silence makes it now impossible to 
divulge that which might dim the lustre of a crown 
won by labors for Christ, and partaking of the con- 
tumely of the Master. 

The only fitting encomium to sum up his life 
and labor is that of the Gospel : Well done, good 
and faithful servant ! 



36 The Story of a Parish. 

In the Springtime of 1844-45 good Father How- 
ell was tempted to sample the pastures and pure 
air of Morris County, and, combining business with 
pleasure, he baptized quite a number of children in 
Morristown, Dover, and Mount Hope. A Catholic 
woman married to a Protestant was denied the 
convenience of a carriage by her husband, and 
walked with her child all the way to Elizabeth to 
have it baptized, as it happened there was no priest 
then at Madison. 

There is considerable dispute relative to the 
house where the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was 
first offered in Morristown. By some it is main- 
tained that it was in a house formerly on the pro- 
perty of Dr. Dodge, Morris Street ; by others, in a 
house on McCullogh Avenue ; again, by some, in 
the Thebaud house, which long ago stood on Mr. 
John G. Foote's farm ; and finally, by not a 
few, that it was in the Johnson house on South 
Street, on the way to the race-track, which was 
called by a subsequent Catholic owner Bellevue. 
Wherever it was, it is generally admitted that the 
priest sought and received the hospitality of Mr. 
John Rogers. John Rogers was among the earli- 
est settlers, and his home was looked upon as a 
headquarters for the clergy whenever they made a 
visitation. 

In 1847, however, steps were taken to secure a 
lot to build the Church. The site on which the 
new Rectory now stands was bought from John 




Rt. Rev. B. J. McQuaid, D.D. 



The First Church at Morristown. 37 



Kennedy, of Philadelphia, for $400. At the out- 
break of the French Revolution, Father Senez re- 
signed the pastorate to return to his native land. 
Previous to his departure a '' bee *' was held to dig 
the foundations of the new church. Father Senez 
opposed the building of a basement, but finally yield- 
ed to the entreaty of Father McQuaid, and this 
feature was embodied in the plans. The honor of 
turning the first sod belongs to Patrick Cavanagh. 
Mr. Egsall built the masonry, and Mr. Muchmore 
did the carpenter work. 

Before the walls were built. Father Senez left, 
and the work devolved solely on Father McQuaid. 
To Father McQuaid alone belongs the entire credit 
of building the first Catholic Church in Morris- 
town ; and of paying, not only for the structure 
itself but for the land on which it was erected. 
Three different times has this honor been wrested 
from him and unjustly given to another. This may 
seem to some a matter of indifference ; but for the 
Catholics here it is all-important to know to whom 
they are indebted for the Church which cost more 
sacrifices, more anxiety and care from both priests and 
people, than would, to-day, the erection of a cathedral. 
Father McQuaid appointed William Nevins trea- 
surer, and all the moneys passed through his 
hands. On the 15th of August the modest Church 
was entirely roofed, and Father McQuaid gave 
the Church the title of the Assumption in honor 
of the Blessed Mother of God, whose great 



38 The Story of a Parish. 

feast saw the culmination of the hopes and desires 
of the little handful of Catholics. 

On Christmas Day, 1848, Mass was said for the 
first time in the new Church by Father McQuaid. 
Simplicity and poverty were everywhere apparent. 
The altar consisted of some planks laid on barrels. 
The little congregation of from forty to seventy 
made themselves as comfortable as possible without 
pews or kneeling benches. A fair number of Pro- 
testants was present, among them Mr. Bonsall. 

^^Now," said Father McQuaid, '^ we depended on 
the goodness of God and the intercession of the 
Blessed Virgin, and we are all right. Through frost 
and cold we have collected by five and ten-cent 
offerings the funds necessary to build and enclose 
the Church, and now we have everything except the 
pews." 

There was little decoration and very little com- 
fort in the new Church, but there was great fervor. 
The poor exiles were full of gratitude to God that 
they had now a sanctuary in their midst where they 
might assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass ; 
reconcile themselves to Him in the tribunal of 
Penance ; and bring their children to be baptized 
and instructed in their holy faith. Father Senez 
had borrowed the money to pay for the lot, but the 
people set themselves to work and rested not until 
they had paid back every penny of the loan. 

Fortunate, indeed, it was for the Catholics of 
Morristown that Father McQuaid came among 



Father McQuaid. 39 

them. As a student he was always in dehcate 
health. It was long feared that the young Levite 
would fall a victim to consumption ; and only a 
short time before his ordination Bishop Bayley, then 
President of Fordham College, saved his life, when 
seized with a severe hemorrhage from the lungs, by 
a timely application of one of his father's old- 
fashioned remedies. 

Previous to the ordination of Father McQuaid, 
Bishop Bayley was appointed the Secretary of 
Bishop Hughes. One morning the stern Bishop, 
who would brook no interference with his plans 
if he were a little out of sorts told his Secre- 
tary to order Father McQuaid to report to St. 
Mary*s Church, Grand Street, New York. With his 
knowledge of the delicate health of the young 
priest and the arduous labors which confronted 
him in the city parish. Father Bayley hesitated to 
notify Father McQuaid. One day, finding his 
Bishop in good humor, the Secretary told him he 
had not written to Father McQuaid. "Why not, 
why not ? " said Bishop Hughes abruptly. " Be- 
cause," said Father Bayley, " the mission of St. 
Marys will kill him." "Well," said the Bishop, 
"what will I do with him?" "Send him to Morris 
County, where the air is pure, and where he will 
have plenty of out-door exercise." 

Thus came the young priest, delicate, indeed, in 
health, but with a strong will, a clear conviction of 
duty, the zeal of an apostle, and a courage that 



40 The Story of a Parish. 

nothing could daunt. He was ever at work. Be« 
hind his trusty mare he jogged along the road, the 
reins in one hand, his breviary in the other. Day 
after day he journeyed from Madison to the most 
distant part of his extensive parish. Wherever he 
heard of a Catholic his zeal sought him out. 

One day he travelled as far as Franklin Furnace, 
where he heard a Catholic was working, and asked 
him for a subscription. With eloquent fervor he 
told his hearer the poverty of the Morristown 
mission, but in vain. The tepid child of the Church 
was untouched by the pastor's story. 

Father McQuaid was on the point of leaving 
empty-handed as he came, when two Orangemen 
who were in the crowd put their hands in their 
pockets and gave him a dollar. Tired and hungry, 
he turned his horse's head homeward, and many 
hours after awoke in his carriage at Madison. Dur- 
ing the journey he had fallen asleep, and the faith- 
ful beast had carried him in the darkness and over 
the rough country road safely to his own home. 
He made his first start to collect funds for the 
Church in February, 1848, and did not rest until he 
had paid every cent of indebtedness. 

His position was no sinecure, for his parish 
stretched from Milburn and Springfield through 
Morristown, Dover, Stanhope, Waterloo, and New- 
ton to the brick tavern opposite Milford, Pennsyl- 
vania, and back again by Deckertown, Franklin 
Furnace, Boonton, Hanover, and Whippany to 



How OUR School Began. 41 

Madison. Although separated by some miles from 
the little flock resident here, he never relaxed his 
vigilance over it. One Winter's night a party of 
the boys and girls was assembled in a building 
situated where the Lyceum now stands, and all 
were enjoying themselves with music and dancing, 
and, perhaps, other amusements of which the pastor 
did not approve. 

Quite suddenly and very unexpectedly a stranger 
covered with snow stood in their midst. As he un- 
wrapped his muffler and removed his fur cap. Fa- 
ther McQuaid appeared before them. Without 
hesitation or waiting for a word from him whom 
they feared as well as loved, one and all disap- 
peared through doors and windows. 

It seemed the more he had to do the more he 
accomplished. Recognizing the importance of Chris- 
tian education, he opened a Catholic school in 
Madison, and taught it himself for a whole year. 
Hardly had he set things aright when he started a 
Catholic school in the basement of the Morristown 
Church. The beginnings were humble, it is true, 
but the principle was established that the school 
was not of less importance than the church. 

While abroad Father Senez purchased a set of 
candlesticks and a crucifix for the main altar. Father 
McQuaid, meanwhile, had not been idle. On his re- 
turn to Madison Father Senez saw many changes. A 
larger field awaited this indefatigable missionary, and 
his Bishop assigned him to complete the present St. 



42 The Story of a Parish, 



Patrick's Cathedral, Newark. But what was to be 
done with the candlesticks ? The poverty of the 
good father would not allow him to donate them to 
the Church, and of church funds there was not 
.a farthing. Mrs. William Collins and Mrs. John 
Rogers pleaded to be allowed to raise sufficient to 
pay the cost of these articles. Together they jour- 
neyed from house to house, from Morristown to 
Madison, to Whippany. Finally their persistent 
zeal was rewarded. They raised the sixty dollars, 
and the church ornaments remained in the Morris- 
town Parish. The crucifix still surmounts the taber- 
nacle on the high altar, and the candlesticks are 
used for Requiem Masses. 

Strenuous efforts were made to complete the 
Church, put in the pews, and finish the sanctuary. 

On Sunday, March 5, 1849, Bishop Hughes 
dedicated the Church. An interesting account ap- 
peared in the leading New York CathoHc news- 
paper : 

A New Church. 

Morristown, N. J., March loth, 1849. 

To the Editor of the Freeman s Journal : 

Dear Sir : Last Sunday was a happy day for 
the Catholics of Morristown. On that day the 
Church which, by hard struggling, they have been 
enabled to erect, was dedicated to the service of 
Almighty God. Now at length, within sight of 
their own homes, they have an altar around which 
.they may gather in humble adoration of their 




1. The old School — the first Church. 

2. Interior Views before removal to new School. 



The Dedication of the First Church 43 

Maker. Now, at their own doors, they have a 
temple within which they may hear the same truth 
their Saviour taught, and soon in the basement of 
that Church they will have a school for their chil- 
dren. For this great favor they do not fail to 
thank most heartily the good God who has been 
pleased to grant it. And not a little of their suc- 
cess in its erection they ascribe to His Holy Mo- 
ther, under whose invocation it is placed, with the 
title of the "' Assumption of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary.'' The Church is a plain frame building, with 
the basement under its whole extent. It is 58 by 
38 feet, and will seat about 300 persons. The 
sanctuary is sufficiently large and spacious ; on one 
side of it is the vestry, and on the other the con- 
fessional. On the steps back of the altar were six 
large silver-plated candlesticks and six more of a 
smaller size ; on columns at each side were sta- 
tues, one of the Virgin holding the Infant, and 
the other of the Angel Guardian leading a boy. 
Though the interior of the Church was not quite 
finished, yet its whole appearance on the day of 
dedication was neat and chaste, and I am sure that 
before long the Catholics of the town will complete 
in good taste what they have so well begun. At 
half-past ten Right Rev. Bishop Hughes began the 
dedication, assisted by the Pastor of the Church, 
the Rev. Mr. McQuaid. Mass was then celebrated. 
After the Gospel the Bishop preached for about an 
hour. The Church, and principally its distinguish- 
ing feature of Unity, formed the matter of his dis- 
course. It was in his usual clear and forcible 
style, and whilst plain to the humblest mind in that 
large audience, the most intelligent and best edu- 
cated must have felt as they heard coming from 
the preacher's lips, not the mere figures and flowers 



44 The Story of a Parish, 

of rhetoric, but the soHd arguments of reason, that 
they were in the presence of their Master. The 
pews and aisles were fairly crammed, while many 
had to remain round the doors and windows and 
hear as best they might. I need not say that all 
were pleased — the Protestants to hear so eloquent a 
divine and the Catholics to see their Bishop, who 
had so kindly come to bless them and the Church. 
The Bishop preached again in the afternoon. 
Much the greater part of his hearers were persons 
not belonging to the Catholic Church. They heard 
explained how Catholics maintained what was so 
absolutely necessary for their corporate existence, 
the Spirit of Unity, and how Protestants managed 
to split and resplit into a thousand and one differ- 
ent and opposite sects. Morristown belongs to the 
mission of Madison, one of the most interesting of 
the diocese. Mass had been celebrated here before 
there was a Bishop in New York, and when St. 
Peter's was its only Church. 

The first Catholics settled near Madison — then 
and until a late date known bv the name of Bottle 
Hill — towards the close of the last century. They 
had been obliged to fly from the French West In- 
dia Islands, at the breaking out of the Revolution 
in France. 

Vincent Boisaubin was the first settler, around 
whom several families soon located themselves. In 
one of their houses, in the year 1809, the holy 
Sacrifice of the Mass was offered up by TAbbe 
Vienet, who came out here from New York. The 
congregation consisted of about twenty-five persons. 
Previous to this time, the Catholics had been in the 
habit of going to New York to attend to their re- 
ligious duties. The settlement was afterwards visit- 
ed by Father Malou. Somewhat later, Rev. Mr. 



The Madison Church and its Offspring, 45 

O'Donahoe officiated here regularly every month. 
After him, the Rev. Father Power attended it. At 
first, Mass was celebrated in a private house ; then 
the upper part of the Academy was hired and fitted 
up with an altar, etc. In 1833 Rev. Mr. Herard 
became the resident pastor. A house was pur- 
chased which served the two purposes of a chapel 
and dwelling. In 1839, at a time when bigotry 
was rank and prevalent in these parts, and when the 
scandalous tales of Maria Monk and other aban- 
doned characters were devoured most greedily ; 
when the ladies amused themselves at their tea- 
parties by piously narrating the horrid doings of 
the benighted Papists ; when the ministers ranted 
and the newspapers were filled with scurrilous 
abuse of what their editors were ignorant of, the 
Catholics of Madison and neighborhood thought it 
not a bad season for erecting in the midst of all 
this bigotry a church in honor of God, and as a 
proof of the strength and vitality of that body of 
men which almost everybody was so busy calum- 
niating. 

They cheerfully gave as far as their means 
would allow them, but had it not been for the 
extreme generosity of two sons of the first set- 
tler, they would never have had the really beautiful 
Church which now adorns the village of Madison. 
It is considered by all as one of the best-finished 
country churches in the diocese. 

All this section of the State was attended from 
Madison. In 1847 ^ Church was built at Dover, by 
Rev. Mr. Senez, and another at Boonton Falls; in 
1848, one at Morristown. And now, within the one 
county of Morris, we have four churches. Is there 
not here an increase, and has not God blessed this 
mission ? 



46 The Story of a Parish. 

Should you judge this sketch at all useful, it is 
at your disposal. Yours most respectfully, 

A. C. P. 

According to Father McQuaid's estimate in 1849, 
the Catholics belonging to the Morristown mission, 
stretching out for miles into the country in every 
direction except towards Madison, numbered, in- 
cluding babies in arms, about one hundred and 
twenty souls. The first efforts of the priest were 
necessarily directed to the salvation of those al- 
ready within the fold of the Church ; but even at 
this early period conversions were not unfrequent. 

In 1843, William Fulton was received into the 
Church by the Rev. Dn Ambrose Manahan ; and 
the first convert baptized by Father McQuaid was 
Mrs. Laurence Johnson. 

In 1850 the first festival, or tea-party, as it was 
called, was held by a few of the ladies of the con- 
gregation in what is now Farmer's Hotel in Market 
Street, then owned by Nathan B. Luse, and used 
by Isaac S. Runyon for a private school, another 
floor by the Odd Fellows and Freemasons, and 
the upper story as a hall. 

The brass band of the town furnished the music. 
There was no dancing. About one hundred and 
fifty dollars, clear of all expenses, were realized, and 
Father McQuaid was overjoyed with the result, be- 
cause it enabled him to pay each of three creditors 
the fifty dollars he owed. 

The first sexton was Mr. William O'Toole, whose 



A Bit of Native-Americanism. 47 

weekly salary was fifty cents. In September, 1850, 
Father McQuaid opened the first Catholic school in 
Morristown, with Mr. Tracey, from New York, as 
teacher. He was one of the old school of hard 
taskmasters whose theory and practice ran on the 
line of Solomon's injunction : '' Spare the rod and 
spoil the child.'' 

One Antoine, a Frenchman, brutally murdered 
his master and his wife, for which he suffered the 
death penalty. This incident provoked an intense 
hostility to all foreigners, and, as a matter of 
course, the Irish were the first victims. 

Two poor laborers were driven by threats from 
their homes and compelled to seek refuge in Mr. 
Ford's woods, there to linger until the passion of 
the rowdy element had cooled down. 

The Irishmen who worked in Mr. Vail's Speed- 
well Works were attacked, and more than one 
scrimmage took place ; but the Irish succeeded in 
defending themselves. This condition of things 
continued until Mr. Vail took sides with his Irish 
employees, and gave their shopmates to understand 
that he would tolerate the question of nationality 
no longer, and that the persecution must be 
stopped. 

Mr. Vail was not only a thorough mechanic but 
an upright man, who aided the worthy and defend- 
ed the weak. Hence it is not surprising to find an 
endorsement of his policy by those employed in the 
works conducted by Messrs. Whelpley and Can- 



48 The Story of a Parish. 

field. The following card appears in the Morris- 
tozvn Banner of current date : 

*'The Ten-Hour Law. 

^^To Ed. W. Whelpley, Esq., and B. O. Canfield, 
Esq. : 

"' The undersigned, some of whom have worked 
for the above twenty years, desire to express their 
satisfaction with the number of hours they work 
and wages received. 

J. A. Berry, Foreman, Patrick Doyle, Foreman, 

James Murphy, Lawrence Welsh, 

Bernard Welsh, Bernard Timothy, 

John Doyle, Dennis Foley, 

Michael Kinsella, B. W. Berry. 

"MORRISTOWN, N. J., October 31, 1850." 

The fire of charity may grow dull but rarely 
dies out, unless by an overt apostasy. The habit 
of faith revives when the Spirit of God again 
broods over it and awakens it into activity. The 
priests found many who, through no fault of theirs, 
had not approached the Sacraments for years ; and 
how touching was their joy when the coming of a 
priest enabled them to rid their conscience of guilt 
by confession, and to receive into their heart their 
Lord and God ! Such an one w^as old John 
McGowan, who for forty years had not knelt to a 
priest. Father McQuaid shrived the good old man, 
and the fervor with which he received Holy Com- 
munion edified every one. 




Most Rev. James Roosevelt Bayley, D.D. 



The Beginnings of Seton Hall College, 49 

In 1853, New Jersey, separated from New York, 
was raised by the Holy See to the dignity of a 
diocese, and the Rev. James Roosevelt Bayley was 
appointed Bishop. This was an important event, 
not only in the history of the diocese, but in the 
history of our Parish. Very soon after taking pos- 
session of his See, Bishop Bayley purchased the 
Chegarray School and opened Seton Hall College, 
with the Rev. Bernard J. McQuaid as its first 
president. This promotion to a field for which his 
executive ability admirably fitted him necessitated 
the severing of the ties which held Father McQuaid 
to parish work, that he might concentrate his time 
and talent on the creation of a home where Catho- 
lic youth would be thoroughly grounded in know- 
ledge and religion, and where a clergy for the 
growing needs of the Diocese might be trained 
under the eye of the Bishop. 

Father McQuaid was succeeded by Rev. Father 
Madden. The wide field of the Madison mission 
still remained unchanged, and tested to the utmost 
the physical endurance and zeal of the priest. Fa- 
ther Madden was equal to the rigorous demands of 
both. It is safe to say that in the three years of 
his administration the faithful were not neglected, 
the spiritual wants of the flock were well attended 
to, while the temporalities were carefully and pru- 
dently watched over. 

Good Father Madden was forced, as his prede- 
cessor, and alas,! his successors, to the unpleasant 



50 The Story of a Parish. 

necessity of holding picnics for the purpose of sup- 
porting his mission. One of the veterans tells us : 
^*We had a picnic for the children, suggested and 
conducted by Father Madden. The lunches were 
all prepared at Mrs. Rogers's, as there was no 
priest's house here then. The children all met at 
the old Church and marched in a body down the 
Mountain road to Mr. Collins's woods, now Mr. 
Footers. There were all kinds of games for the 
boys and girls, and all had an enjoyable time at 
these picnics." Father Madden, who loved athletic 
sports, engaged with zest in the amusements, and 
always carried off the palm in the jumping con- 
tests. 

From the Baptismal Record it appears the care 
of the Parish was entrusted at times to the Rev. 
L. Hoey ; and occasional entries indicate that the 
Rev. Alfred Young, now of the Paulist Fathers, to- 
gether with the Very Rev. Dean McNulty, and, 
now and then, the Rev. D. J. Fisher came from 
Seton Hall College — now the old St. Elizabeth's 
Convent — to say Mass, catechize the children, and 
administer to the wants of the congregation. The 
Morristown Catholics held Father Young in high 
esteem. His genial manners made him friends 
everywhere. The young flocked around him. At 
the sick bed his charm of manner never failed to 
cheer, and his tender message of patience plucked 
out the thorn of suffering and substituted the holy 
calm of Christian resignation. 



Father McNulty. 51 

Father McNulty displayed then as now the burn- 
ing zeal which no obstacle could stay or hinder. 
The heat and cold were alike a matter of indif- 
ference when it was a question of duty. Were a 
carriage convenient to help him in his round of 
duty, well and good. If not, like Chaucer^s worthy 
Pastor, 

" On foot, and in his hand a stave, 
This noble example to his flock he gave : 
That first he wrought, and then he taught ; 
Out of the Gospel he that lesson caught." 




CHAPTER IV. 

■^^HE Rev. L. Hoey, who was appointed to the 
^ new Mission of Morristown, cut off from 
Madison in i860, was the first Priest to reside per- 
manently here. He stopped at Mrs. Rogers's eleven 
months, during which time he labored hard and 
zealously for the erection of the priest's house. 
His ability as a mathematician attracted the atten- 
tion of his superiors, and secured for him a pro- 
fessorship in the new college. 

The first picnic organized by the newly-appointed 
Pastor is best described by one who was there : 

**0n July 4th, 1857, Father Hoey held the first 
grand picnic in the woods. Bright and early that 
morning Mr. Collins, Mr. Patrick Dempsey, and 
Mr. Degan were ready to carry the things to the 
picnic grounds, where the willing ladies had gone 
ahead to prepare the tables. Mass was celebrated 
at nine o'clock, at which all the Sunday-school were 
present and as many of the congregation as could be. 
After Mass, headed by Father Hoey, the children, 
followed by the adults, marched to the grounds. 
The music was supplied by a fiddler and an Irish 
piper, and the most prominent features were the 
breakdowns by the old folks. The enjoyable fun 
was not to last long, for about four o'clock dark 
clouds began to gather, and as fast as the provisions 
could be packed in the wagon they were taken to 
Mr. Collins's barn, a short distance from the woods. 
The teams had barely reached shelter when down 

52 




.^ i 



Rev. L, Hoey. 



The First Rectory. 53 

came the rain. All hastened to the tent which had 
been erected on the grounds, and under its protec- 
tion dancing was again resumed. The fun was un- 
der good headway when down came the tent on the 
picnickers' heads ; and the white dresses of the 
ladies were marked with the labelled stamp of the 
tent-maker. When the storm ceased, the men hung 
their coats on the limbs of the trees and danced till 
they were dry. At this picnic chances were given 
out for the first time. Mrs. J. Doyle had given a 
cake beautifully iced, which the ladies did not know 
how to dispose of till Father Hoey came up and 
started it at ten cents a chance, and in a short time 
thirty-seven dollars were realized. At the breaking 
up that evening, all volunteered to return the next 
night to Mr. Collins's barn and finish the refresh- 
ments and dance. The piper was brought in, the 
cows turned out to the lots, but the horses were 
left in their stalls to share the fun, and the motto 
was, * Drink, dance, and be merry.' And so every- 
body did. This ended our first picnic." 

His efforts to build a priest's house were success- 
ful. A lot was purchased from Mr. Hull, editor of 
tht Jersey 7nan, for the sum of one hundred and fifty 
dollars, and in 1861 operations for the building be- 
gan. The masonry was done by Cyrus Pruden, and 
the carpentry by Muchmore & Lounsbury. 

About this time the old graveyard was bought from 
William Collins for five hundred dollars. 

The parish school started by Father McQuaid 
was not allowed to remain stagnant. The school 
had not, it is true, all the appointments now con- 



54 The Story of a Parish, 

sidered necessary ; the rooms were dark, very warm 
in Summer and correspondingly cold in Winter. A 
great stove stood in the middle of the room, and a 
pipe was placed through one of the windows, but 
not too far out of the reach of the tricky boys. 
When the tasks became irksome, or the tempting 
chestnuts strewed the ground, or the ice was in 
prime condition for skating, a sod conveniently 
thrust down the stove-pipe checked the draught, 
filled the room with smoke and gas, and necessitated 
the dismissal of the school. 

When Mr. Tracey severed his connection with 
the school he was succeeded by Mr. Donlin. Miss 
Slater, of Massachusetts, and a Mr. Faulkner, whose 
knowledge of the English language was too limited 
to make him a successful teacher, were engaged and 
taught for a short time. These teachers taught pre- 
vious to i860. 

That the school might be kept together until a 
competent person was found to take charge of it. 
Father Hoey himself taught during the vacancy 
which occurred about the time of his appointment. 
A Miss McDonald, with sufficient confidence in her 
ability to teach and rule the masons, painters, 
plumbers, and carpenters of the present day, pre- 
sented herself for the arduous position ; but a short 
experience convinced her of the serious mistake she 
had made. 

Mr. O'Neil was then secured ; and, although 
gifted with considerable talent, was forced to resign 



Braggart Bigotry. 55 

on account of ill health. To him succeeded Mr. 
Meehan, who is remembered as ''' teaching the A, B^ 
C's with the children on his knee, and both teacher 
and pupil enveloped in the smoke of his pipe." 
Then appears Mr. Fennessy ^' in a white shirt, ruf- 
fled upon either side of the bosom ; this, together 
with his personal appearance, evoked such a volley 
of cheers from the scholars that he was mortally of- 
fended, and decided to punish severely the unruly 
children by teaching them only for the short space 
of a half a day.'* 

The absurd and hateful anti-Catholic and anti- 
Irish spirit, fed by the ignorance and scheming of 
preachers and newspaper editors, nourished by others 
whose intelligence should have served them better, 
made its sting felt in Morristown, as in almost 
every village, hamlet, and city of our country. 
There is a vague tradition of an attempt to destroy 
the little Church first erected here by the lusty 
young bigots of that day, possessed of more brawn 
than brain. But a fanatic is usually a braggart ; 
and the tidings that the miners from Dover were 
ready to march down to protect the Catholics and 
avenge any insult offered to them, cooled the cour- 
age of the bullies and dissipated their plans. But, 
from time to time, the old hatred cropped out, espe- 
cially on St. Patrick's day. 

Washington, whom every citizen, and especially 
those from Fatherland, must venerate, with the in- 
stinct of a true patriot recognized the aid he re- 



50 The Story of a Parish, 

ceived from the Irish exiles dwelHng in the colonies, 
both in men and money, freely and generously giv- 
en ; and so, first of all, with graceful propriety or- 
dered, in this very spot, the first public recognition 
in the new Republic of the Saint held in special 
reverence by the Irish race. 

But the old folks who remembered the Teagues 
and Paddies for their prowess in battle and their 
gallantry in the camp had passed away. Their ig- 
noble sons forgot the debt they owed to the brave 
and persecuted race ; and not content to let them 
dwell in peace in a land watered with their blood, 
they chose rather to insult them whenever oppor- 
tunity offered. 

It were well to strive to forget these indignities ; 
but it is proper to make mention of them, the bet- 
ter to accentuate the forbearance, the Christian 
charity of our forefathers. It was not unusual to 
see strung up on a flag-pole or suspended from a 
tree a stuffed figure to represent St. Patrick, with a 
string of potatoes about his neck, a whiskey bottle 
in one pocket and a codfish in the other. It was 
such a sight that aroused the lion in Patrick Smith 
as he saw the effigy of his patron swaying in the 
wind from the flag-staff in the Park. The assuring 
words and wise counsel alone of Colonel Vail pre- 
vented him from cutting down the flag-pole. On a 
like occasion another Smith, a namesake of Patrick 
but no relative, saw a similar figure pendent from a 
tree. His good wife brought him an axe, and down 



The End of Anti-Catholic Feeling. 57 

came both tree and effigy. The last appearance of 
this vulgar exhibition was in Market Street, a few 
doors down from South. 

The war, the new generation of the native-born 
sons of these old exiles, full of the courage of their 
fathers and excelling them in intelligence, ranking 
with those who differ from them in creed, and on an 
equal footing in point of education and social stand- 
ing, have put a last touch to such puerile ebulli- 
tions of bigotry. 

An earnest search for reminiscences among the 
early settlers and the newspapers of the day fails to 
discover anything worthy of special mention. The 
outbreak of the war called many of the children 
of the parish to the front, where they upheld the 
reputation of their forefathers for loyalty to the 
flag, bravery in battle, and patience in imprison- 
ment. 

Even as late as the War period Catholics were 
so lightly esteemed that on Thanksgiving, 1861, in 
a historical sermon, preached by the Rev. David 
Irving, D.D., in the first Presbyterian Church, Mor- 
ristown, in an allusion to the religious statistics of 
this County, he does not even mention the Catholics, 
who had not only a Church and resident pastor, 
but likewise a parish school in active operation. 

In 1864 the Church was incorporated, the Board 
consisting of Rt. Rev. James Roosevelt Bayley, the 
Very Rev. Patrick Moran, the Rev. Lawrence Hoey, 
Messrs. Henry James and Patrick Rowe. 



58 The Story of a Parish. 

On the death of Mr. James, December 22, 1864, 
Mr. Wilham Dvvyer was appointed to fill the va- 
cancy. 

In 1865 the school was found inadequate for the 
accommodation of the children, and was enlarged at 
an expense of eight hundred dollars. 

Times go by turns, and chances change by course, 
From foul to fair^ from better hap to worse. 

Discord, when it springs from those alien to our 
faith, is deplorable. There is nothing exceeds in bit- 
terness fraternal strife. So, when dissension divides 
a parish the whole body seems paralyzed, and only 
after years of patient endurance does the healthy 
reaction set in, and the members again resume their 
functions. 

The chastening rod scourged our little flock. 
The peaceful serenity of the young parish was dis- 
turbed ; and it is only now, after the lapse of more 
than a quarter of a century, that the sad memory 
has passed away. It is not desirable to recall it. 

The Rev. James D'Arcy was appointed pastor 
July, 1867. 

Father D'Arcy's magnetism, his winsomeness, 
were irresistible. Gifted with more than ordinary 
ability, by careful study he enriched his mind. Of 
an ardent, generous nature he was strong in his at- 
tachments, and while he loved the land of the Stars 
and Stripes, he could not forget the land of his 
birth — the Emerald Gem of the Sea. 



Death of Good Father Madden. 59 

His eloquence, always of a high order, touched 
the zenith when telling the struggles, the sufferings, 
the sad, sad story of Ireland. The last oratorical 
effort of his too-brief career was his ever-memorable 
panegyric of St. Patrick in the Cathedral, Newark, 
on March 17. 

Keenly alive to the ennobling traits of his coun- 
trymen, he was not insensible of their failings. He 
realized that to intemperance was, in a large mea- 
sure, to be attributed their poverty, their misfor- 
tunes, and their crimes. Hence he strove mightily 
against the demon of drink, and succeeded in organ- 
izing almost all the men of the parish in a Temper- 
ance Society, which for many years made its in- 
fluence felt, and saved not a few from this dan- 
gerous pitfall. To-day there are still with us 
those who took and never broke Father D'Arcy's 
pledge. 

He was indefatigable in his efforts to spread 
the Christian virtue of temperance. January 2, 
1868, he delivered a lecture in Washington Hall, 
which was largely attended not only by Catholics 
but by those not of our faith. 

On Saturday, May 21, 1868, ^^ good " Father 
Madden was prostrated by an apoplectic fit in New- 
ark, and his soul passed away to God on Sunday 
morning. Father Madden was only forty-three 
years of age when he died. But in the short span 
of his ministry he had accomplished much for God. 
His sympathetic nature endeared him not only to those 



6o The ^ Story of a Parish. 

to whom he was allied by ties of country and reli- 
gion but who differed from him in belief. 

But this great loss was felt in Morristown more 
than elsewhere. The people here had learned to 
love, to idolize Father D'Arcy. And now they 
were to lose him. 

On the 2d day of June, in obedience to his 
Bishop, he left us to assume the pastoral charge of 
Madison. The grief was wide-spread and the regrets 
were mutual on the part of priest and people. 

At a meeting of the parishioners of the Church 
of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, held 
at the Church in Morristown, on Tuesday evening, 
Tune 2, 1868, Thomas Burke in the chair, the fol- 
lowing preamble and resolutions, as submitted by 
the committee, were unanimously adopted : 

Whereas^ Our beloved Pastor is about to be re- 
moved from us, and feeling it is our duty to ex- 
press our thanks to him for his earnest labors in 
our behalf since his arrival in this place, and our 
sorrow for his departure from our midst ; therefore 
be it 

Resolved^ That in Rev. James A. D'Arcy we had 
a zealous and pious priest, a '' priest after God's 
own calling," whose sole anxiety and care was the 
good of the people. 

Resolved^ That wherever he goes his memory 
shall be revered by each one of us, and we shall 
look back with pleasure to the short but happy 
time he spent among us. 

Resolved^ That we shall always obey his holy 
teachings and imitate his many virtues. 



Father UArcy leaves Morristown. 6i 

Resolved^ That a copy of these resolutions be en- 
grossed and presented to him. 

Resolved^ That these resolutions be printed in 
the True Democratic Banner^ the Jerseyman^ and 
Newark Journal, 

Rev. and Dear Sir: 

We the undersigned, in behalf of your many 
sorrowing friends and admirers of this parish, and 
the Temperance Societies here established and so 
tenderly fostered by you, do hereby beg leave to 
tender you this address in slight token of our heart- 
felt gratitude for your most faithful and successful 
labors in our behalf, during, alas ! your brief so- 
journ in our midst ; while at the same time we 
would thus bear public testimony to our heartfelt 
and inexpressible regret at the action of our Rt. 
Rev. Bishop in removing you at this time from the 
parish. We would not in any event fail deeply to 
mourn over the great loss sustained in the early 
death of Father Madden — and alas ! how fast has 
brother followed brother 

" From the sunlight to the sinless land " ; 

but now when we remember that his death is the 
direct cause of our inexpressible bereavement in 
being compelled to submit to the removal of you, 
our beloved Pastor, to fill the vacancy thereby 
created, we can but acknowledge the weakness of 
all language adequately to express our sorrow at 
the melancholy event ; and while unable to antici- 
pate a period when your removal could be made 
without filling our hearts with sadness, your de- 
parture from among us at the present time seems 
doubly to be deplored. We cannot but feel that 
we now, more than ever, require your services and 



62 The Story of a Parish, 

spiritual guidance in order to the preservation of 
that unity, brotherly love, and harmony of action 
so essential for the accomplishment of the greatest 
good, in the different Temperance Societies and re- 
ligious sodalities formed and nursed by you in this 
city and vicinity with a parent's tenderest care and 
solicitude ; and, while acknowledging the debts of 
gratitude due from us to your predecessors in the 
holy ministration of this parish, we feel compelled 
from a sense of justice to state that we recall the 
name of no one of them whose labors have accom- 
plished so much for the advancement of our holy 
religion in so short a period as during your brief 
mission of eleven months, during which time we 
have learned to love and honor you as our Pastor. 
Fresh in memory will ever remain the recollections 
of that parental care and tenderness exhibited by 
you in providing for and watching the growth of 
our infant T. A. B. Society, until it numbers in its 
ranks one hundred and thirty members ; also, your 
earnest labors in establishing a branch society, now 
composed of nearly one hundred members, together 
with the " Cadet Society '' of all the boys in the 
parish between the ages of ten and eighteen. Upon 
this, the eve of our separation, with eyes and hearts 
filled to weeping, with what force do we recall the 
touching language contained in your farewell ad- 
dress, when alluding to the " inadequacy of words 
to express the sentiments of the heart '' ; thus it 
seems to us now at the thought of being so soon 
deprived of the ministry and guidance of one who in 
and out of season has so zealously and unremit- 
tingly labored for the highest good. Well we know 
you looked for an approval higher than that of 
men, and yet we would not forget that it is '^ sweet 
to be remembered" by friends, and that it often 



Sorrow of the Parish. 63 

happens in this world that too Httle of love and 
gratitude are shown in return for kind offices and 
true devotion to duty in promoting the cause of 
truth and religion here on earth. Hence we would 
offer you these expressions of our gratitude, feeble 
and imperfect as they are, in return for the solicitude 
so long and often manifested by you for us and 
those dear to us, for your earnest and untiring ex- 
ertions in our behalf, and for your anxiety shown 
that all should know and practise the precepts of 
our holy Religion. You are now about to reap the 
reward of our labors in witnessing the grateful sight 
of your Church filled to overflowing — the evening 
devotions numerously attended and the children of 
the congregation trained in virtue and morality to 
be a blessing to society, their parents, and their 
Church. 

You came among us a stranger, as you truly 
said, with no recommendation whatever but the dig- 
nity of your priestly character. But your faithful 
labors and self-sacrificing devotion continued to in- 
spire confidence and love among your people until 
the name and memory of Father D'Arcy are writ- 
ten indelibly upon our hearts. And now. Rev. Sir, 
in behalf of this parish, we bid you a reluctant but 
most affectionate farewell. 

Thos. W. Burke, Chairman, 

Chas. Meehan, Secretary. 

Michael L. Keefe, Cornelius Holly, 

William Dwyer, Martin Murphy, 

D. A. Roberson, B. W. Dempsey, 

Jeremiah Mulhall, 

Committee. 

Gentlemen : I thank you very much for this 
your kind and affectionate address. These parting 



64 The Story of a Parish, 

words of yours I will long and reverently cherish. 
Indeed, if words could give expression to the feel- 
ings of my heart, you would have to listen to 
words expressive of deep and sincere regret ; but 
words, however well selected, and eloquence, how- 
ever chaste, are at best but cold and lifeless things 
compared to the ideas they are used to express ; 
and any words of mine on this occasion would fall 
far short of the emotions which swell up within my 
breast. 

It would indeed be strange if, looking back on 
the eleven months passed amongst you, I could not 
find many ties which bind me to this place ; ties 
to sever which makes the sorrow of our parting 
all the more poignant. Eleven months ago I came 
to you a stranger, with nothing to recommend me 
to your favor save the dignity of the priestly char- 
acter which I bore, and I now freely and gladly 
admit that since my advent amongst you I have 
found nothing but kind, manly, honest hearts. 
When appointed your Pastor, it was a tim^e when 
such an event was on my part unlooked-for and 
undesired ; my duty, however, was clear, and I ac- 
cepted the position so kindly tendered ; I felt the 
full force of the compliment it conferred and the 
deep obligation it created, and if action during 
these past months always corresponded with inten- 
tions and feelings, I would not fail, now at their 
close, to be altogether unworthy of your affectionate 
esteem. All I then promised I hope I have ful- 
filled. I then told you, the first time I addressed 
you, that all I had to offer was an earnest desire 
for your well-being and happiness, and a great will- 
ingness to labor to help you to attain them ; and 
your presence here this evening more than compen- 
sates me for my efforts in your behalf, for I look 



Priest and People. 65 

upon it as a testimony coming from you that the 
confidence you reposed in me has not been be- 
trayed. Your allusion to my efforts in the cause 
of temperance recall many things to my mind which 
I would like to dwell upon. Some of my happiest 
hours have been spent in laboring for the cause of 
temperance ; in trying to lift up the fallen, encour- 
age the weak, elevate the aspirations of the poor, 
broken-hearted victims of intemperance. Your kind 
co-operation always sustained me and my labors 
were spent on a not unfruitful soil. The work re- 
mains — may its influence long be felt ! 

Gentlemen, a few days more and we are parted ; 
you may sometimes recall my name, and, as your 
address expresses it, you wish that I will not forget 
you. I promise it. Other scenes 'tis true await me, 
and other kind friends will, I hope, bid me wel- 
come ; but no length of time, no familiar faces, no 
loving hearts can break or weaken the solid chain 
of kindly friendship whose golden links we have 
been forging for the past few months together. 

This your address I thankfully receive as a 
'' souvenir " to be preserved for your sakes. To the 
efforts I have made in promoting your well-being I 
ascribe no vain importance ; nor do I claim for 
these efforts any high reward ; but it so happens 
that you have spoken of them in words so kind 
that I cannot but value highly the parchment which 
contains them. Long after many of you have passed 
away — long after even the ink in which these words 
are penned may have faded, the memory of the 
words herein written may help to console, animate, 
and encourage me ; and if I should ever have to 
turn over a dark page in the history of my life 
may they come to shed the golden radiance of hap- 
pier days upon it ; for, as the poet says : 



66 The Story of a Parish, 

/' Let Fate do her worst, there are reUcs of joy, 

Bright dreams of the past, which she cannot destroy. 
They come in the night-time of sorrow and care. 
And bring back the features that joy used to wear. 
Long, long be my heart with such memories filled ; 
Like the vase in which roses have once been distilled : 
You may break, you may shatter the vase, if you will, 
But the scent of the roses will hang round it still." 

May your words be such relics of joy — bright 
dreams of a happy past ! May their perfumed 
breathings ever remain ! May they be whispered 
balm and sunshine spoken ! May these — '' Benign, 
blessed sounds '* — never die in my heart, but with 
rising accents may they ever remind me of my 
duty to ask for you from above long life, prosper- 
ity, and happiness. 

James A. D'Arcy, 



■KT^^p. 



rs- 




Rev. James Sheeran. 



CHAPTER V. 

'HE insane rage of those who threw off the 
^y^|i authority of the Church in the sixteenth and 
succeeding centuries against everything that the 
faithful, from the days of the Apostles down to our 
own time, held most sacred, is and must remain an 
enigma. In their fury priceless literary treasures 
were destroyed. Stained windows of exquisite color- 
ing and design, altars, statues, rood-screens, chant- 
ries, the testimony of the faith and piety of pre- 
ceding generations, were beaten into dust or pro- 
faned by vile and unholy uses. There was a 
motive for plundering the beautiful shrines, daz- 
zling with gems and glittering with polished gold 
and silver. But why attack the Cross? why tear 
the sign of man's redemption from its rightful place 
twixt earth and heaven, lifting up the heart from 
the dross of this world and pointing to the better 
things of our true home ? 

The human mind, like a pendulum, sways alter- 
nately from one extreme to another. The soul is 
naturally Christian, and the Church attracts men be- 
cause they find in her what their hearts crave. 
Every decade of this century witnesses a closer ap- 
proach to Catholic dogma and practice. The Cross, 
a generation ago the distinctive emblem of the 
Catholic Church, now tops the temples of every sect 
and denomination. 

67 



68 The Story of a Parish. 

But this and like changes were not effected with- 
out misgivings. People stared and wagged their 
heads. The journals deemed the subject worthy of 
grave editorial comment. In a certain newspaper 
of the county issued November 26, 1868, appears 
the following : 

^* It looks curious to see a Cross erected on a 
Methodist Church. A fine large one of stone shows 
conspicuously from the new Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Methodism is a live religion and is making 
rapid progress. Its clergy are among the most emi- 
nent in the land ; and as its members have become 
wealthy they have built churches which are grand in 
their external appearance, and elegant and comforta- 
ble in their interior arrangement. We hope, notwith- 
standing, that the Methodist Episcopal Church will 
always have an abundance of seats for the people. 

'' But the Cross — we hardly know what to say 
about it. It is there. It looks well. It is in per- 
fect harmony with the rest of the building ; and 
perhaps will be unobjectionable, if no other em- 
blems are indulged in.*' 

The Rev. P. McGovern took charge of the parish 
on the departure of the Rev. James A. D'Arcy, 
about October, 1865. Messrs, Patrick Rowe and 
William Dwyer were reappointed trustees. Father 
McGovern busied himself with the spiritual interests 
of the flock entrusted to him. His gentle nature, 
when aroused by the misdoings of his children, 
plainly evidenced that he knew how to be severe 
where leniency failed. 



An Alarming Suggestion. 69 

He alone seemed to distrust his own ability; and 
he was content to see the members of the Church 
increase, so that crowds filled every nook and corner 
of the little edifice, and the overflow lingered on 
the steps, the sidewalk, the street. His ringing 
voice was heard to good purpose on Decoration 
Day, 1869, when in the old Cemetery, over the 
dust of the departed heroes of the Civil War, he 
told his flock of the duties they owed their Coun- 
try, and of the reciprocal claim they had to enjoy 
to the fullest the liberties guaranteed by the Con- 
stitution, and to stand on an equal footing with 
every creed and shade of belief in the land. 

His close reasoning and fervid delivery excited 
wide-spread comment, and made a deep impression 
on his auditors. 

As to building a new church, he was satisfied 
that it could not be accomplished. '*Why," said 
one of the parishioners — "• why. Father McGovern, do 
you not build a new church, to cost, say, about 
twelve thousand dollars ? " 

" A new church ! Twelve thousand dollars ! Mor- 
ristown? Nonsense!!" replied the good priest, as 
he indignantly left the house, accompanied by his 
dogs. 

Yet the new church had to come because it was 
absolutely needed. The only question was, who 
should undertake the task ? 

The very thought of building, of incurring a 
debt, appalled the pastor and flock. The pastor re- 



70 The Story of a Parish. 

signed in the Autumn of 1871, and withdrew from 
a charge never entirely congenial. The most per- 
fect harmony, however, existed between him and 
his people ; and when he left he was sincerely and 
deeply regretted. 

The Rev. James Sheeran succeeded to the pas- 
torate, October, 1871. Father Sheeran was a born 
leader of men, an ideal nineteenth century priest. 
His life was varied by almost every incident that 
may happen to layman or priest. 

Courtly and well-mannered as the aristocracy of 
the South he loved so ardently ; gentle as a wo- 
man; brave as a lion; firm and unyielding when 
conscious of his rights, he scored with biting .sar- 
casm the element, present in every parish, which 
contributes words instead of money, and thwarts by 
cavilling the efforts of the pastor whom they are 
unwilling to aid either by example or encourage- 
ment. He certainly was no respecter of men. No 
obstacle, however great, could turn him aside from 
his purpose. Fear was an unknown element in his 
nature. Of this he gave ample proof during the 
War, when, attached as Chaplain to the corps of 
General '' Stonewall '* Jackson, he was never absent 
from an engagement, was always in the thick of the 
fight, aad ready to impart advice to this greatest 
fighting general of the Confederacy. 

'' General," said he one day, during the progress 
of a bitter fight in the Shenandoah Valley, *• why 
don't you do thus and so ? " — detailing a movement 



A Hero of Charity. 71 

which he thought would be effective against the 
enemy. 

** Father Sheeran/* repHed Stonewall Jackson 
quietly, **who will be responsible for this battle, 
Father Sheeran or General Jackson ? " 

Again, when the yellow fever broke out in New 
Orleans, and all the Fathers in the house were 
prostrated, he alone remained to attend the sick- 
calls ; and for weeks never slept in his bed, but 
napped on a lounge whenever a brief respite per- 
mitted. 

In attending the sick in tenement-houses he fre- 
quently found two or three in the same bed victims 
of the dread disease. He would lie down between 
them, and, placing his ear close to their pestilent 
breath, hear their confessions. Not only did he 
minister to them spiritually, but prepared the 
corpses for burial and helped to carry the cofifined 
remains to the dead-wagon. 

In the gloom of a deserted, pest-stricken city, 
an eye-witness of scenes terrible beyond description, 
without the sympathy or cheering words of a 
single confrere, he never lost heart, but bent his 
every energy to encourage his brethren, to sustain 
the afflicted, to provide for the orphan, and bring 
solace to those whom death and disease had de- 
prived of kindred and friends. 

Father Sheeran was one of the most efficient 
of the Redemptorist missionaries. Possessed of a 
voice of unusual silvery timbre, which he managed 



^2 The Story of a Parish. 

with rare skill ; witty and forcible in his side-hits 
and argumentations, he soon became the most popu- 
lar of the band. 

When the war broke out he was South, and, 
together with Father Smulders of the same Congre- 
gation, was assigned by his Superior to attend to the 
spiritual wants of the Confederates. There was 
nothing of the gold lace or gilt edge connected 
with his position. The soldiers' meagre fare was 
his ; their hardships in camp and bivouac he shared. 
Realizing the importance of the events which were 
daily happening, he kept an accurate diary, for 
which at the close of the conflict he was offered a 
large sum of money by a Southern firm of publish- 
ers ; this he refused. 

After the battle of Winchester, while attending 
some Union soldiers, he was made prisoner by Gen- 
eral Sheridan and confined in Fort McHenry, near 
Baltimore. Through the influence of Archbishop 
Spalding he was released, and was again enabled to 
enjoy the sweet calm of community life. But he 
never forgave General Sheridan. The fact is that 
they were alike in temperament, and when the clash 
came neither would yield. As the General had be- 
hind him plenary military power. Father Sheeran 
was conquered but not subdued. 

A brief term of rest, and he was commissioned 
by his superiors to go to New York and collect 
funds for the Mission Church about to be erected 
in South Fifth Avenue, near Canal Street. Owing 



Father Sheeran made Rector, 73 

to a disagreement with his Rector he asked to 
be allowed to withdraw from the Congregation. 
His petition was granted, and he was adopted for 
the Diocese of Newark by Bishop Bayley. Pending 
a permanent appointment, he assisted in the parish 
of Hackensack. Such, in brief, is his history to 
whom the Catholics here are so much indebted. 

In October, 1871, Bishop Bayley made him Rec- 
tor of the Morristown parish. Already far advanced 
beyond the meridian of life, his naturally strong 
constitution was weakened by hardships in the field 
and on the mission. Although providentially pre- 
served from contagion in the yellow-fever epidemic 
through which he had passed, the awful strain dealt 
a blow to his health from which he never recovered. 

In the month previous to his coming Jeremiah 
Mulhall was appointed trustee to fill the vacancy 
occasioned by the death of Mr. Patrick Rowe, Sep- 
tember 28, 1867. The economy and prudent admin- 
istration of Father McGovern had freed the parish 
entirely of debt ; so that the way was clear to pro- 
ceed with the construction of the new Church. 

This task demanded the entire attention of the 
Pastor. Hence he sought and obtained help from 
the Passionist Monastery at Hoboken, to attend to 
the little flock at Baskingridge and Mendham. 

Fortunately a suitable site, secured by the wis- 
dom and forethought of Bishop McQuaid, remained 
on which to erect the house of God, which was to 
excel all other church buildings in Morristown in 



74 The Story of a Parish, 

size, in beauty and solidity, and to lead the way for 
the adornment of the temples of worship, and the 
abolition of the barn-like structures called churches 
which disfigured our city. Mr. L. J. O'Connor was 
selected to draw up the plans and design of the 
new building. In the Spring of 1872 everything was 
in readiness. The bids were in, the weather was 
propitious, the congregation in expectation. On 
May 7 the bids were opened in presence of Father 
Sheeran and the Trustees. It was found that M. M. 
Parsons offered to build the Church and furnish all 
the material for the same for the sum of thirty-seven 
thousand dollars, exclusive of the Sanctuary windows 
and altars. As this was thirteen hundred dollars 
lower than the other bids, the contract, by resolu- 
tion, was awarded him. 

The dead buried in that portion of the site cov- 
ered by the new Church were reverently removed. 
A busy throng of laborers dug the foundation, and 
by June the masonry had progressed sufficiently to 
permit the laying of the corner-stone. Bishop Bay- 
ley administered Confirmation on Sunday, June 30, 
1872; and in the afternoon the ceremony, which had 
been awaited with much anxiety, took place. The 
weather was all that could be desired. A cloud- 
less sky, the trees and grass garbed in the be- 
witching splendor of Springtime, the air echoing 
with the melody of birds and filled with the fra- 
grance of cherry and apple blossoms, the societies, 
the acolytes, priests, and Bishop arrayed in their 



j A<n"w ' .', i^-J^'^aty.ia-^vjii. ' iMa ' -K'v.^^t^i^'.w -' jj f ii^.t^ 




The Church of the Assumption.— Interior. 



The Laying of the Corner-Stone, 75 

vestments, all made an effective and impressive 
scene. Mr. Lundy, of the Morristown Republican^ 
gave a vivid pen-picture of the ceremonies, which 
is reproduced in its entirety: 

'' In spite of the intense heat of Sunday last, 
Morristown was all alive in the afternoon with per- 
sons wending their way to the corner of Maple Ave- 
nue and Madison Street, where the ceremony of 
laying the corner-stone of the new Roman Catholic 
Church was to be performed by Bishop Bayley with 
imposing ceremonies. A special train over the Del- 
aware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, from New 
York, and which arrived at Morristown about noon, 
brought about one hundred persons, among whom 
were priests from the Monastery of the Passionist 
Fathers at Hoboken, the clergy of Seton Hall Col- 
lege and the St. Elizabeth Convent, together with a 
number of invited guests. 

^' Bishop Bayley arrived the evening previous, 
and was a guest at the pastoral residence. On 
Sunday morning he confirmed over two hundred 
children belonging to this city, Baskingridge and 
Mendham. About 2 P.M. the grounds in the neigh- 
borhood of the church began to present a wonder- 
ful scene of hundreds of people gathered together, a 
sight somewhat unusual of a Sunday in Morristown. 
Wagons, in which were crowded all who could ob- 
tain room, arrived from Dover, Mendham, Rock- 
away, Whippany, Baskingridge, Madison, and other 
places, and took up position around the foundation 
of the new building. 

'' Every inch of shaded room was quickly appro- 
priated, and men and boys climbed by scores into 
the trees that line the grounds. One English elm 



70 The Story of a Parish, 

of extraordinary size contained by actual count fifty- 
seven of these acrobats. The citizens of Morristown 
were out in force, and by the time the services 
commenced fully three thousand persons were about 
the grounds, all eager to have a good view of the 
ceremonies. These began at half-past three P.M., 
the procession, consisting of the Bishop, clergy, and 
alcolytes, at that hour entering within the limits of 
the foundations. As soon as the entering prayers 
were said, the procession took its way to the corner- 
stone, where is to be reared the tower. 

'' In front came a priest bearing a large crucifix, 
and followed by alcolytes dressed in red robes with 
white surplices. The Bishop was in his full robes, 
with the mitre upon his head and the golden crook 
in his hand. He was supported by Rev. Dr. Seton, 
and behind him came the other priests. Prayers 
were said by the Bishop and priests, and the for- 
mer then assisted in placing the corner-stone in 
position, and, tapping it with his crook, declared it 
duly laid. The stone is about four feet in length 
by three wide and ten inches thick. On the side 
facing Maple Avenue is the inscription, in old Eng- 
lish text : 

Church of 

THE ASSUMPTION, 

June 30TH, 1872. 

In the centre of the stone was a receptacle of 
about ten inches long by six inches wide and deep, 
and into this a tin box was deposited. In this box 
was the following manuscript statement : 

*' ^ Laying of corner-stone of the New Roman 
Catholic Church at Morristown, New Jersey. 

*•' Dedicated to Almighty God under the invoca- 
tion of the Assumption of Our Lady, the Blessed 



Bishop Bayley's Address. yy 

Virgin Mary, the laying of the corner-stone of this 
new, spacious, and beautiful edifice was performed 
on Sunday, June 30, in presence of an immense 
concourse of people of different denominations, by 
the Bishop of the Diocese in which it is situated — 
Right Rev. Dr. Bayley, Diocese of Newark, N. J. 

''At the date of this ceremony, June 30, 1872 — 

''The Holy Pontiff Pius IX. rules the Church; 

"The Most Rev. John McCloskey, D.D., is Arch- 
bishop of the Province of New York ; 

" The Right Rev. James Roosevelt Bayley, D.D., 
Bishop of Newark ; 

" Rev. James Sheeran, Pastor of the Church ; 

" Ulysses S. Grant, President of the United States ; 

" Hon. Joel Parker, Governor of the State of 
New Jersey; 

" Hon. J. W. Ballentine, Mayor of Morristown. 

"Architect of the new Church, L. J. O'Connor, 
of New York City ; 

" Contractor, Mahlon Parsons ; Masons, Shawger 
& Merrit. 

" Ecclesiastics present at ceremony as follows : 

" Rev. Monsignor Seton, D.D., of Convent St. 
Elizabeth Station ; Rev. Dr. Wigger, of Madison, 
N. J.; Rev. Father McCarthy, of Dover, N. J.; 
Rev. F. Aloysius Blakely, Passionist, West Hoboken, 
N. J., and others. 

"After laying and blessing the corner-stone the 
Bishop addressed the people for over an hour. 

" He said that long since he had made a resolu- 
tion that he would bless no more corner-stones dur- 
ing the heated term, but, notwithstanding his reso- 
lution, he had blessed one a week ago, one on that 
day, and was engaged for the same service two 
weeks hence ; therefore he thought he should make 
no more resolutions, or at least should say nothing 



78 The Story of a Parish. 

about them if he did. He said there was no duty- 
connected with his office as Bishop that he per- 
formed with more pleasure than blessing the corner- 
stone of a new church, and he congratulated the 
Catholics of Morristown that they were to have a 
new, large, and commodious building erected and 
dedicated to God, and in which to worship Him ; 
and not the Catholics only, but the Protestants too, 
he congratulated, as the new Church would be an- 
other influence for good in their midst, another altar 
erected to the Most High, whence faith and jus- 
tice and purity should emanate to bless the place, 
and where Protestants could, if so disposed, drop in 
and hear a lecture or sermon, and become some- 
what familiar with the doctrines and teachings of 
the Catholic Church, in regard to which there was 
the most profound ignorance even among the most 
learned and intelligent non-Catholics. 

^^The Bishop then, in a somewhat humorous way, 
proceeded to dispose of several illusions under which 
Protestants were laboring in regard to the Church ; 
as the finding of a Bible by Martin Luther, which 
led to his conversion, ^when,' said the Bishop, ^ at 
that time no less than forty editions of the Bible 
had been printed, and no less than nine of them 
in the German language, and it was impossible 
that Luther should not have had familiar access to 
them.' 

**And in reference to Confession, he observed 
that it was probably the belief of every Protestant 
in Morristown that the priest was paid for his ser- 
vices at confession, ^when,' said he, * every one of you 
knows that you not only pay him not a cent, but 
that he could not take it if offered him, and that if 
you had all the gold in California the laws of the 
Church forbid him to touch a cent of it.* 



Some Home-Thrusts, 79 

"^ He alluded to several mistaken ideas which 
were held as truths by non-Catholics, and hoped the 
new Church would tend to dispel them. 

^* In alluding to what he termed the persecutions 
of the Catholics in Germany, he said that, although 
no prophet or son of a prophet, he predicted that 
the Pope would remain in the Vatican, and the 
Jesuit fathers in Germany, long after Bismarck and 
the German government were laid in the dust ; that 
the Catholic religion would continue to increase and 
prosper ; that the world could not do without them 
yet, for to them it looked, as it had always looked, 
for the maintenance of law, order, the rights of 
property and stability of government. It was the 
great conservative party, he said, which was to save 
the world, and every civilized nation on earth had 
been converted to Christianity by the Catholics, 
and in most cases by apostles sent directly from 
RomCo 

'^ He paid a compliment to the late President 
Lincoln, with whom he had been acquainted and of 
whom he had formed a favorable impression, de- 
nouncing his murder as a most wicked and foolish 
act, and he thought the country would have been 
much better off if Mr. Lincoln had lived. 

** Paying his respects to Henry Ward Beecher, 
who was a schoolmate of his, he accused him of 
easily floating down the river with the tide without 
making any effort to stem the current, and patting 
every one on the back as they floated along. 

*^ The strike for eight hours he alluded to as a 
delusion and a snare, advising his hearers to have 
nothing whatever to do with it ; to continue to 
work their old, honest ten hours; ^for,' said he, ^the 
two hours, if obtained, will be spent in great part 
in the grogshops, and the manufacturer will be 



8o The Story of a Parish, 



obliged to tax all the articles which you buy at a 
higher rate in order to continue his business, and 
eventually it will come out of you after all. He 
was not used to talking politics, however, and allow- 
ances must be made for his remarks in reference to 
them, as the only politician whom he ever cared 
much about was Andrew Jackson, and he had been 
dead twenty years. 

** Now, said he, you have commenced to build a 
new and beautiful church. It is one thing to com- 
mence and another thing to finish. The latter 
could only be accomplished by unity of purpose and 
action. All must work together. Each one, how- 
ever poor, could contribute something. Better lay 
up your treasures in the stones of the new Church 
than leave it to erect a costly tomb for yourself ; for 
in the latter case, in a few years even, your name 
would be forgotten, but when dedicated to God in 
the new Church He would never forget it. It was 
an act of faith, a treasure laid up in Heaven. He 
impressed on the minds of his hearers the duty of 
building as fine and grand a church as possible ; 
that it was the duty of Catholics everywhere to rear 
edifices consecrated to the ever-living God as grand, 
as costly and imposing as possible, following the ex- 
ample of the old Christians, who, although poor and 
needy, had reared those fine old cathedrals in 
Europe which were to this day the wonder and ad- 
miration of the world. 

*' The Bishop is a well-educated and refined 
scholar, a man of fine appearance and address, and 
speaks fluently, pleasantly, and to the point. His 
remarks were principally of a practical nature 
throughout, showing a thorough knowledge of sub- 
jects treated and also of human nature. 

'' He held the vast audience in the broiling hot 



The New Primate, 8i 

sun for an hour and a quarter, and dismissed them 
with his blessing. 

'^In conversation afterwards with Bishop Bayley 
we learned that he went to school for some time 
with Mr. Ezra Fairchild, at Mendham, about thirty- 
five years ago. Of the older residents of Mendham 
the Bishop spoke freely, remembering most of them 
very well, and asking after several of the old fami- 
lies. He declared that to his mind Morristown and 
Mendham were the prettiest places he had ever seen 
in his travels." 

In closing his remarks Bishop Bayley appealed to 
the people to aid their pastor in his efforts to raise 
up a house worthy of the living God by contribut- 
ing of their worldly goods, and to stimulate the flow 
of the living spring of charity by their generosity. 
Three hundred and one dollars were raised. No 
time was lost. Material, bricks and lumber littered 
the ground. Higher and higher rose the walls dur- 
ing the Summer ; and the copious offerings of the 
Catholics proved their anxiety to have and build a 
suitable church. 

The time had now come to cut off Baskingridge 
and Mendham, and relieve Father Sheeran from 
the care of these congregations. The two offshoots 
had attained a sturdy and healthy growth, and were 
able to support a pastor. The Rev. L. Danielou 
was appointed to take charge of the new mission. 

In August of this year. Bishop Bayley, who had 
labored with so much fruit and zeal, and had ac- 
compHshed great things for religion since his eleva- 



82 The Story of a Parish. 

tion to the great responsibility of Bishop, was trans- 
ferred by the Holy See to the Archdiocese of Balti- 
more. He would gladly have renounced the honor 
of Primate and successor of Carroll, Kenrick, and 
Spalding in the illustrious Mother Church of the 
United States, and abided with his first love ; but his 
protests were in vain. His separation from the field 
where the best years and efforts of his life had been 
spent almost snapped his heart-strings. It may, in- 
deed, be questioned if he ever recovered from it. 
For from that day his health began to decline. He 
was, as he himself said, ^^too old a tree to be trans- 
planted." His bluff, honest character would not per- 
mit him to conceal his dislike of his new charge. 
He lost no occasion to laud everything he had left 
behind at the expense of everything that surrounded 
him. Comparisons never conciliate ; and so, while 
commanding the respect of clergy and people by his 
ability, zeal, and family prestige. Archbishop Bayley 
never won their love. His loss was keenly felt by 
his old flock. When he was invested with the pal- 
lium the priests of his dear Diocese of Newark were 
present almost to a man. The Archbishop never 
ceased to love the priests and flock of Newark with 
the ardent affection of a father. He was always 
ready to receive them, to stop all other business to 
entertain them, to give them precedence and atten- 
tion over even great dignitaries. 

In 1874 two young priests, who had lately been 
ordained in Seton Hall Seminary, one of whom had 



A Halt in the IVork. 83 

served the Bishop's Mass in the Newark Cathedral 
as a boy, and, later on, was to hear the last Con- 
fession of the Archbishop, on their way to visit St. 
Charles's College, stopped at the archiepiscopal resi- 
dence to pay their respects to their former Bishop, 
who had just returned from St. Louis. 

The present Cardinal, his successor, then Bishop 
of Richmond, was awaiting him in the parlor. No 
sooner had the visitors from Newark been an- 
nounced than the Archbishop hastened from his 
study to welcome them, and with an arm around 
each ushered them into his room. Here, much 
to their embarrassment, feeling that they were in- 
strumental in detaining the distinguished visitor. 
Archbishop Bayley entertained the young priests 
and parted with them regretfully after a long and 
delightful chat. 

To his death he maintained these friendly rela- 
tions, and he was never so happy as when, in the 
old Bishop's home, he recalled old events, surround- 
ed by the faces of those who had shared his toil 
and merit in the trying hours of his episcopate. 

The unexpected oncoming of the cold weather 
necessitated a halt in the building of the new 
Church. A nipping frost came so unexpectedly that 
there was no opportunity to protect the walls. All 
the rigors and unpleasantness of an exceptional 
Winter prevailed. Successive frosts and thaws im- 
paired what, under other conditions, would have 



84 The Stor y of a Parish. 

been an unexcelled piece of work ; and when, in 
the early Spring of 1873, labor was resumed, much 
had to be rebuilt. To the credit of the contractor 
be it said that he spared no effort to put up a 
structure which would at the same time attest his 
skill and give satisfaction to those who employed 
him. 

In February, 1873, the news flashed across the 
water that the Administrator, the Very Rev. M. A. 
Corrigan, was named Bishop of Newark by the 
Holy See. To Bishop McQuaid, then on a visit to 
Seton Hall, Doctor Corrigan turned^ after reading 
the despatch sent him by Mr. McMaster, of the 
New York Freeman s Journal : 

"Is there no escape?" said he. 

"None," replied the Bishop; "you must accept 
the burden." 

Archbishop Bayley's keen and unerring estimate 
of men secured for the important Diocese of New- 
ark a worthy successor. Trained under his own eye, 
and drilled into the methods which shaped his own 
administration, and won for the Diocese the stately 
position it now holds in the Church of the United 
States, Michael Augustine Corrigan brought natural 
executive ability, ripe scholarship, and solid piety to 
the exalted dignity which was forced upon him. 
Dr. Corrigan's preparatory studies were made under 
the venerable Father O'Reilly at St. Mary's College, 
Wilmington, Delaware ; and completed in the nurs- 
ery of Bishops, Mt. St. Mary's, Emmittsburg, Mary- 



^^m^^:" 




Most Rev. Michael Augustine Corrigan, D.D. 



The Right Rev. Dr, Corrigan, 85 

land, from which he was graduated in 1859. He 
was chosen one of the little band sent by the Bish- 
ops to form the nucleus of the American College, 
which they hoped to establish in the centre of 
Catholic unity. His gentle manner, his application 
and singular purity of life, attracted the attention 
and won for him the respect and confidence of his 
classmates and superiors. On one occasion, when 
the little band of American students was in the 
presence of Pius IX., his Holiness singled out young 
Corrigan, whom he called *^the American St. 
Aloysius." 

He was ordained priest September 19, 1863, in 
the Cathedral Basilica of St. John Lateran, by Car- 
dinal Patrizzi. 

On his return to his native land, August, 1864, 
he was made professor of dogmatic theology and 
Holy Scripture in the Seminary of the Immaculate 
Conception, South Orange, N. J. 

When the See of Columbus, Ohio, became vacant, 
the prelates looked to him as one worthy in every 
way to fill the difificult position, and on their recom- 
mendation he was preconized by Pius IX. The 
great dignity, the responsibilities, overwhelmed the 
young priest. He pleaded everything, his youth, his 
inexperience, with his own Bishop, with Archbishop 
McCloskey, and finally, yielding to his entreaties, the 
Holy Father acceded to his wishes. For a little 
while he was safe. 

To his work in the Seminary he was entirely 



86 The Stor y of a Parish. 

devoted. The transfer of Father McQuaid to the 
Diocese of Rochester, as its first Bishop, enlarged 
his opportunities and entailed new responsibili- 
ties on Doctor Corrigan. He was made president 
and bent every effort, every talent, to bring the 
College up to the high standard to which its foun- 
ders aspired. On the elevation of Archbishop Bay- 
ley he was made Administrator, as he had exercised 
for some time the duties of Vicar-General. In May 
he was consecrated Bishop, in St. Patrick's pro- 
Cathedral, Newark, by Cardinal McCloskey. The 
Sanctuary, the aisles were crowded with representa- 
tives of the hierarchy, and the clergy of his own 
and other dioceses. The Rt. Rev. Bernard J. Mc- 
Quaid preached an eloquent sermon. And thus the 
young Bishop was launched on his new work ; and 
bravely did he face the troubles and anxieties which 
the financial straits of St. John's Church, Orange, 
caused him at the very outset of his administra- 
tion. 

The fragrance of the chrismatic unction had not 
been spent when he came to Morristown to exer- 
cise for the first time one of his episcopal functions. 
The mechanics had responded to the urgent appeals 
of Father Sheeran ; the last touch of the brush had 
been given, the last blow of the hammer heard, the 
new Church was, at length, ready for dedication. 

On Ascension Thursday, May 22, 1873, a leaden 
dulness overspread the sky. The rain fell in tor- 
rents. Without, everything was dismal and som- 



The New Church Dedicated, 87 

bre, but within the walls of the church what joy 
filled the hearts of pastor and flock ! Bishop Corri- 
gan solemnly blessed the new Church, and the 
ceremony was followed by solemn Pontifical Mass. 
After the Gospel the Rev. Dr. Edward McGlynn 
preached from the text : ^^ Thou art a priest for ever 
according to the order of Melchisedech " (Psalm cix.) 
There was a large attendance of priests and people. 
The music rendered during the Mass was by a choir 
selected from the different churches in Newark. 
Thus, twenty-five years from the erection of the 
first humble sanctuary, the pioneers who survived 
saw their first efforts eclipsed, the tender shoot 
developed into a mighty tree, and a dwelling-place 
enshrining the Holy of Holies which far exceeded 
their hopes and expectations. The Lord had, in- 
deed, builded the house, and their labors had not 
been in vain. 




CHAPTER VI. 

|MPLE room was afforded in the new Church 
Hl^ for the accommodation of all. 

In point of fact, the congregation seemed to be 
lost in it ; and not a few were heard to say that 
Father Sheeran had made a mistake in building it 
of such large dimensions. In style it borders on 
the Gothic, and taken altogether is well proportioned 
and adapted for its scope. It is built of brick, 
made in the vicinity, trimmed with Ohio sandstone. 
Its dimensions are one hundred and twenty-two 
feet in length by fifty-two in breadth. The spire, 
disfigured at the angles of the base by meaningless 
pinnacles, is almost graceful. 

In apportioning the pews Father Sheeran had 
regard to the priority and long service of the pew- 
holders. The veterans had the first choice regard- 
less of their poverty or slender incomes, the priest 
judging rightly that their claim was superior to all 
others. 

The old frame structure had served its purpose 
well ; it was now altered for the accommodation of 
the school children. 

Miss Maggie O'Brien was employed as teacher 
when Father Sheeran assumed charge of the parish, 
and by the engagement of Miss Robbins suitable 
provision was made for the increased number of 
children. She enjoys the reputation of being one of 



Some School Teachers, 89 

the best teachers the parish school ever had. In 
October, 1873, Thomas W. Burke was appointed 
Trustee. 

Miss Robbins was succeeded by Miss Susan Coxe. 
The school work was progressing favorably, as the 
pastor, freed from the cares and anxieties of build- 
ing, was enabled to throw into it his old experi- 
ence ; and he soon convinced the children that he 
expected them to respond to the efforts he was 
making for their advancement. The teaching staff 
was at this time Mr. Coyle for the boys, and the 
Misses Coxe and O'Brien for the girls. 

As the expenses of the new building had ex- 
ceeded the amount of contributions it was necessary 
in July, 1874, to raise a loan of fifteen thousand 
dollars. Mr. Thomas Degan was appointed Trustee 
October, 1874. Scarcely a breath of discord dis- 
turbed the harmony of this period. A great effort 
is followed by the lull of repose. 

The machine-works at Speedwell, which had given 
employment to a goodly number and a thorough 
training to the youth whose talents were towards 
mechanics, were removed. The bell was silent. 
The historic building that recalled the birth of the 
locomotive — the mighty civilizer of the world — the 
telegraph, the submarine cable, to which are for ever 
linked the names of Vail and Morse, were aban- 
doned. Nature was to drape their crumbling walls 
and decaying timbers with creeping vines and wild 
flowers ; and the waters rushing through the unused 



go The Stor y of a Parish. 

flume sobbed a passing requiem. A great blow was 
struck to the only industry in the community, from 
which it has not since recovered. Many were com- 
pelled to leave the parish, and sever ties begotten of 
a common kinship and common trials. 

The building of the Asylum at Morris Plains 
made an opening, and gave employment to many. 

The obscure town hidden among the hills of 
Morris County, blessed with a ceaseless flow of 
purest water, sheltered from the rude blasts of Win- 
ter, began to attract the attention of physicians and 
health-seekers. 

The salubrious air brought back the glow of 
health to the sick, and invigorated the strong. It 
was found soothing to weak lungs ; and many who 
had sought, in vain, relief from their infirmities 
abroad, or in the debilitating regions of our South- 
ern climate, regained steadily their robustness, and 
from transient visitors became rooted to the soil. 
The great natural beauty of Morristown ; its gently 
sloping hills, crested with oak, elm, and maple ; its 
well-laid-out and well-kept streets, invited the atten- 
tion of the capitalist and induced the wealthy of the 
great Metropolis to make it their homxe. The tide 
of good fortune was setting in. Villa sites were 
bought, and architect and landscape gardener com- 
bined to adorn our City and its surroundings. 
The fascination of the locality is complete. Its 
children find elsewhere no attraction ; and the stran- 
ger abides here with content. 



A New Cemetery. 91 

The harvester Death had been busy, and young 
and old had paid the last penalty. The Httle grave- 
yard was filled. The people clustered beneath the 
shadow of the Church ; and even as a sanitary mea- 
sure it became necessary to look around for another 
burying-place. 

In the Spring of 1875, a beautiful spot, about a 
mile distant from the city, and containing about fif- 
teen acres, was selected. The rolling character of 
its surface, the dense forest and thick undergrowth, 
required considerable toil and outlay of money. A 
portion was surveyed and laid out for immediate 
use. It lies between the angle formed by the Whip- 
pany and the Columbia roads. From its highest 
elevation the City may be seen stretching east and 
west ; and to its tranquil boundaries are borne the 
subdued tones of the Angelus bell. 

The failing strength of Father Sheeran incapaci- 
tated him from attending to his work ; and when 
he applied to Bishop Corrigan for an assistant, the 
Rev. Joseph Vassallo was appointed. 

An attempt was made to rid the parish of the 
debt by assessing it pro rata upon all the adults of 
the congregation. Many responded generously, and 
direct donations to the amount of two thousand 
six hundred and ninety-one dollars were received ; 
but the Pastor's efforts did not avail. The amount 
donated was but a drop in the bucket; so the bur- 
den remained. 

An unfortunate incident happened to disturb the 



92 The Story of a Parish. 

harmony then reigning. An Italian who, in a fit of 
jealous rage, had murdered a compatriot was found 
guilty of murder and sentenced to death. Father 
Vassallo attended him in his last moments, and Father 
Sheeran sought to prevent an autopsy after the ex- 
ecution. This, it was claimed, was a legal necessity. 
But Father Sheeran did not concur with this view, 
and refused to receive the body and give it Christian 
burial. As is customary in such controversies, there 
resulted not a little friction and bad feeling. 

An important step for the welfare of the children 
was now made. Vocations began to abound, and 
the Novitiate of the Sisters of Charity at Madison 
was fitting the candidates for their responsible du- 
ties as Christian teachers. 

From every side came petitions to Mother Xa- 
vier for teachers. The influence of the children of 
St. Vincent had already made itself felt in the 
parish schools and orphanages of the Newark diocese. 

Father Sheeran's claim was recognized, and ar- 
rangements were made in September, 1875, to send 
two of the Sisters from the mother-house every 
day. A little room was added to the school, and 
fitted up with a stove and cupboard. Here, after 
the noon dismissal, the Sisters prepared their lunch 
in light-hearted gaiety and contentment. Their hal- 
lowing influence over both boys and girls was at 
once apparent. The success of the school was as- 
sured. 

In November the Rev. Joseph M. Flynn, whose 



Appointment of Curates, 93 

shattered health had brought him almost to the 
verge of the grave, was sent to Father Sheeran as 
assistant in place of Father Vassallo. The pure air, 
the solicitude and attention of Father Sheeran, had 
their effect, and so rapidly that himself and friends 
were filled with astonishment. Under the advise- 
ment of the pastor Father Flynn organized a Tem- 
perance Society among the young men of the par- 
ish. His stay, however, was too brief to accomplish 
much in this direction ; for, in February, 1876, he 
was transferred to St. Peter's Church, New Bruns- 
wick. The Rev. Samuel Walsh filled a brief ap- 
pointment. He was succeeded by the Rev. Michael 
A. McManus. 

The time was now favorable for Father Sheeran 
to take a well-earned rest. He longed to visit again 
the land of his birth, and to see once more the 
scenes and companions of his childhood. The par- 
ishioners made up a comfortable purse, and he 
started on his voyage with the prayers and good 
wishes of his flock. While abroad he visited Paris 
and purchased the beautiful vestments still preserved. 
The demon of discord set to work on his return, 
and a passing unpleasantness marred the pleasure he 
experienced at being once more with his people. 

The good old man, while possessing unusual 
shrewdness and perspicacity, was easily imposed up- 
on, especially by so-called friends. Honest and sin- 
cere himself, he never dreamt of questioning the 
sincerity of the motives of those by whom he was 



94 The Stor y of a Parish. 

surrounded, and in whom he reposed the fullest con- 
fidence. He had never learned, nor, having learned, 
could he ever apply, Talleyrand's maxim : " Treat 
your friend as though he may one day be your 
enemy ; and your enemy as though he may one day 
be your friend. He paid the penalty, and saw his 
mistake when it was too late. 

The Rev. J. M. Giraud succeeded Father McMa- 
nus. The Rev. J. J. Schandel filled a temporary ap- 
pointment about September, 1877. He was super- 
seded in November by the Rev. J. Poels. 

In the early fall Archbishop Bayley returned to 
seek in New Jersey some relief for his ailments. 
His disease puzzled the doctors. There did not 
seem to be any organic trouble ; and still it was 
evident that he was very ill. 

He was welcomed by the Bishop and priests of 
the Cathedral, and all the care that love and vene- 
ration could prompt were lavished upon him. But 
in vain. Medical skill availed naught. He lan- 
guished, lingered from day to day, and died Octo- 
ber 4, 1877. 

James Roosevelt Bayley, born outside the thresh- 
old of the faith, was descended from the oldest 
Knickerbocker families, whose ancestors came over 
with Hendrik Hudson and settled on Manhattan 
Island. Brought up in the Episcopal Church, his 
soul, naturally Catholic, was earnest in the search 
after truth. With his natural leaning to piety, he 
determined to consecrate himself to the service of 



Archbishop BayleVs Life, 95 

God in the ministry. His early education was re- 
ceived in the once-celebrated school at Mendham, 
N. J. Thence he proceeded to Amherst College, 
Massachusetts, and later on we find him entered 
at Trinity College, Hartford, to prepare himself for 
the ministry of the Episcopal Church. His studies, 
however, were completed under Dr. Jarvis, at 
Middletown, Conn. In due course of time he was 
ordained and elected by the vestry Rector of St. 
Peter's Church, Harlem. Here his dignity of 
character, warm heart, and kindly manners won 
for him . hosts of friends. While devoting himself 
with all the ardor of his nature to his duties, he 
still found time to gratify his taste for reading. 
History, biography, and patristic literature gave 
him especial pleasure. Visiting one day at Ford- 
ham the home of a poor Irish laborer, on a mission 
of charity, he met a Catholic priest, with whom he 
formed a friendship which lasted during life. The 
two had many a theological bout and tilt, and the 
result was that between the friendship of the good 
priest and the works of the Fathers — more than all 
by God's grace — we find him resigning his charge 
in the fall of 1841 and resolved on going to Rome 
in search of the truth. He was not long in the 
Eternal City before he was convinced that there 
was no truth outside the Catholic Church, and that 
he had hitherto been following a will-o'-the-wisp. 
He asked to make a retreat. He was baptized con- 
ditionally and received into the Church by the 



96 The Story of a Parish. 

Jesuit, Father Esmond^ and confirmed the same day, 
April 28, 1842, by Cardinal Franzoni, in the chapel 
formerly the rooms of St. Ignatius. We next find 
him in the grand Seminary of St. Sulpice, Paris, 
where he made his theological studies. Returning 
to New York after a narrow escape from shipwreck, 
he was ordained priest March 2, 1844, by Bishop 
Hughes. In 1845 he was made the Bishop's Secre- 
tary, for which his habits of exactness and his eye 
for detail had admirably fitted him. During this in- 
terval it was, we believe, that he acted as President 
and Vice-President of Fordham College, and for a 
time exercised his priestly duties in Staten Island. 
There was then a steady flow of emigration set- 
ting towards the United States. The ships were 
crammed with living freight ; the food was bad, 
the air below decks foul, and the voyage long. 
Little wonder, then, as the vessel entered the port 
of New York, many a poor fever-stricken emigrant 
lifted his languid eyes but to gaze on the stony 
walls* of quarantine and the restless waters of New 
York Bay. 

Here Father Bayley worked with indefatigable 
zeal. For the faithful- he had the comforts of the 
Sacraments ; for all a kind smile, an encouraging 
word. 

He gave to the press about this period The Life 
and Letters of Bishop Brute and ^ Sketch of Catho- 
licity in New York, Both works were honored with 
a second edition. In 1853, the new diocese of New- 



The Talents of the Grea t Prela te. 97 

ark was formed, and Father Bayley was appointed 
its first Bishop. Together with Rev. John Lough- 
Hn, preconized to the new See of Brooklyn, and 
Rev. Louis de Goesbriand to the new See of Bur- 
Hngton, Vt., he was consecrated in St. Patrick's pro- 
Cathedral, New York, October 30 of the same year, 
by Archbishop Bedini, Papal Nuncio. His new dio- 
cese was a fallow field : his priests few, his churches 
encumbered with debts — many already in the hands 
of the sheriff — his people poor and despised. He 
brought to surmount these obstacles a vast experi- 
ence, a willing heart, and a firm trust in God. 
While not gifted with extraordinary brilliancy, he 
possessed that most rare gift, common sense. His 
keen eye soon read the character of all those with 
whom he came in contact ; his judgment was rarely 
at fault, and in his forecast of future happenings he 
seemed to have been gifted with prophetic certi- 
tude. Always vigilant in the discharge of his re- 
sponsibilities, and realizing the necessity of disci- 
phne in aiding to build up with the rude material 
at hand the magnificent structure of a Catholic dio- 
cese, his heart tempered the dictates of his mind 
and led him to exercise leniency at times when se- 
verity would have been excusable. An omnivorous 
reader, he possessed the rare faculty of treasuring 
up the gems he met with in the classics ; and, as 
he had travelled extensively, his portrayal of men 
and things was most vivid and realistic. The anec- 
dotes handed down from father to son touching the 



98 The Stor y of a Parish, 

quaint manners and customs of the old Patroons 
were ever on his tongue, and told very frequently, 
in truth, but always with that quiet humor and 
pleasing twinkle in the eye which secured for him 
the attention and laughter of his audience. He 
easily adapted himself to his surroundings. It mat- 
tered not where he found himself : in the back- 
country town, standing on the platform waiting for 
the train, he was as much at home with the folks 
lounging around the depot and differing from him 
in religion as he was with his brothers in the 
hierarchy. Any one might approach him. The 
timidity of childhood was dissipated by his attrac- 
tiveness ; and when he visited the schools, as he 
did frequently when at home, the shyness of the 
boys and girls melted away before the pleasant sun- 
shine of his smile. Rich and poor alike, the 
righteous and the unrighteous, the learned and the 
ignorant, the Catholic and unbeliever, were one and 
all cordially received by him, and left his presence 
soothed and comforted by his kind and cheerful 
words. If not demonstrative, he was strong in his 
attachments. He loved the old friends, the old 
places, the old-fashioned ways of doing things. Al- 
though a convert, his faith was simple as a child's, 
and as strong and robust as an early Christian's. 

Foreseeing the necessity of Christian education, 
he set to work to establish parochial schools. To 
his mind the school should be first, the church 
after; for, as he was wont to say, a parish without 



The Sisters of Charity, 99 

a school is not worthy of the name. That God 
blessed his labors is evident from the fact that 
twenty-five years later, of all the dioceses of the 
United States, Newark ranked third, if not second, 
in having the largest number of pupils attending 
parochial schools. The little grain of mustard-seed — 
the community of the Sisters of Charity established 
at Madison — had grown and spread until at the 
time of his death there were about three hundred 
and seventy-five Sisters in the Diocese. His vigi- 
lance and activity were everywhere felt. He would 
stroll into Sunday-school on a Sunday afternoon and 
chat with the children — showing them his ring or 
telling a story ; the next Sunday he would be per- 
haps a hundred miles away. 

From the Seminary at Seton Hall — the object 
dearest to his heart — ^have gone forth a band of 
young, active, well-trained priests, animated with his 
zeal, and stimulated by his works and by his ex- 
ample — to be spent for Christ's sake in saving the 
souls of men. He lifted up his flock from their ob- 
scurity and won for his religion, despite deeply- 
rooted and bitter prejudice, a place of honor and 
esteem. All might not succumb to the convincing 
force of his sermons, but all readily yielded to him 
that respect and reverence which superior minds 
command without seeking. His presence — so full of 
majesty and dignity — attracted the admiration of 
all ; yet he was as simple and as approachable as a 
child. You might see him standing on Washington 



loo The Story of a Parish. 

Street, returning from his visitation, or from a walk, 
in conversation with an old colored servant, his face 
lit up with that kindly smile so peculiarly his own ; 
and often, after celebrating Pontifical Mass, did he 
come to the rescue of some poor old creature strug- 
gling- with the considerate clergyman or sexton, and 
send her off in joy with a *^ God bless you, my 
child." 

Convening a synod of the clergy in Baltimore, 
he enacted many salutary regulations, particularly 
respecting the clerical dress and mixed marriages.. 
Though not a musician himself, he, first of all his 
predecessors, and, it might be added, alone of all 
his brothers in the Episcopate, carried out the 
recommendations so many times expressed in the 
councils of Baltimore : installed in his Cathedral a 
male choir, and had the majestic liturgy of the 
Church sung in her own grand and devotional melo- 
dies. 

Illness obliged him to go abroad for relief; and, 
after seeking in vain the restoration of his health in 
Vichy and Homburg, he returned to his old home 
to take up temporary quarters in his old rooms in 
Newark, August, 1877. His ailment baffled the skill 
of the physicians, who waited on him with tender 
devotion. Despite the pain from which he was 
never free, he was always so cheerful, so full of 
anecdote, that it was difficult to believe him ill. 
Finally, October 4, 1877, fortified by the Sacraments 
of the Church he loved so well, in his old room, in 



From Death to Life, ioi 

his old bed, in his dearly loved Newark, surrounded 
by Bishop McQuaid, Archbishop Corrigan, Rt. Rev. 
G. H. Doane, Fathers Toomey, Flynn, and Shep- 
pard, his pure soul was loosed from its prison of 
clay, and was in the presence of its judge. Full of 
faith and good works, James Roosevelt Bayley went 
to receive his reward. 

The grief and sorrow of the Catholics were shared 
by those not of our faith. All joined in testifying 
their respect for his sterling worth. An obituary 
which appeared in one of the leading Newark news- 
papers gave a very true estimate of his character: 

*^ Those who knew personally Bishop Bayley 
knew a disciple of Christ full of benignity, humility, 
and loveliness ; with a quiet dignity that always 
commanded respect for him, and yet a measure of 
sympathy and tenderness that attracted all towards 
him as to a friend. They knew a prelate endowed 
with wisdom, learning, high administrative ability 
and zeal for the propagation of the form of Chris- 
tianity in which he believed, combined with all con- 
sistent toleration of the faith of others ; a gentleman 
of culture with manners simple, refined, and agree- 
able. It is not often that one meets a man who 
measures up closer to the common ideal of a well- 
rounded, perfect character. For instance, he was 
bold and aggressive like St. Paul ; with convictions 
that manifested themselves in unceasing toil, despite 
obstacles and discouragements. The number of 
churches which sprang up under his rule in the Dio- 
cese, Seton Hall College, the Convent School at 
Madison, the asylum for children, the hospital, the 
schools in every parish, testify that he was ' in labors 



102 The Story of a Parish. 

most abundant.' At the same time he was loving, 
Hke St. John. He had a most charitable spirit. 
While a firm believer in the Catholic Church, he de- 
sired peace and friendliness with all Christians, dis- 
liked controversies and demonstrations likely to stir 
up bitter contentions. In all things was he concil- 
iatory when conciliation was not compromise. 
When he first came to Newark and began his work 
of establishing here the Catholic religion, no little 
opposition was excited among people who regarded 
the Roman Church as a foreign institution and a 
foe to liberty and enlightenment. He alluded to 
this in his address in the Cathedral on the day of 
the consecration of the edifice two or three years 
ago, and gladly testified that this bitter feeling 
against him in time had passed away, and that for 
many years had he found among Protestants many 
warm friends. It passed away because instead of 
meeting the outside opposition with polemical ser- 
mons or pamphlets, or showing in any way a bel- 
ligerent spirit, he quietly went on with his official 
duties. He chose, by founding Seton Hall College 
for the higher education of Catholic youths, St. 
Elizabeth's Academy at Madison, and other educa- 
tional institutions, to make his answer to the charges 
raised against the cause which he represented. As 
a preacher Archbishop Bayley was effective and 
pleasing. His imposing presence would have fixed 
upon him the attention of a congregation though 
his address had been less engaging. Of full height, 
with a well-rounded but not heavy figure ; a massive, 
handsome head ; a forehead broad and high, from 
which the hair was brushed back ; a face fine in 
every feature, and pleasing in its expression of mild 
dignity, goodness of heart, and intellectual strength, 
the Archbishop was commanding in person, whether 



Last Sad Rites, 103 

in plain broadcloth or wearing his rich canonicals, 
with the mitre upon his head and the golden cro- 
sier in his hand. In direct and often plain language 
he gave vigorous expression to his thoughts. His 
discourses might be beautiful in diction ; they were 
sure to be forcible and instructive. In delivery he 
was intensely earnest, and yet calm and easy, for 
culture ever tempers and moderates. 

*^The body of the dead prelate was clothed in 
pontifical vestments and placed in state before the 
high altar of St. Patrick's Cathedral. On Friday 
morning Bishop Corrigan sang the Requiem Mass, 
and immediately thereafter the body was taken to 
Baltimore, whence, after a solemn Requiem Mass in 
the Cathedral, the remains were conveyed to Em- 
mittsburg, Md., and placed beside his aunt, Mother 
Seton." 




CHAPTER VII. 

,N May, 1878, Father Poels was assigned to 
the pastoral charge of Mendham and Bask- 
ingridge. Morristown had now to depend on St. 
Michael's Monastery, Hoboken, and various Fathers 
came thence to minister spiritually to this charge, 
as Father Sheeran grew more enfeebled. 

The spirit was willing, but the body was worn 
out. It is a pitiable sight to witness the struggle 
of a brave man, who has been a leader among men 
and has always been first in the race — it is pitiable 
to see him strive to keep up. In vain does he 
spur on the once-willing steed. The race for him 
is spent, and the day of triumph over. The work 
was. still here, his heart was in it, but nature had 
been tested to the extreme limit. If he failed the 
fault was not his. 

In August, 1880, the Rev. Arthur Henry, a 
young priest in the very bloom of his ministry, but 
in the grasp of death, was sent to try the benefits 
of our mountain air. 

In his brief career he had labored hard, and pre- 
saged a life rich in results for the Master of the 
vineyard. 

The Rectory built by Father Hoey had long in- 
convenienced both pastor and curate. In fact, the 
only room the assistant had was of such narrow and 

limited dimensions that, when furnished with a bed, 

104 




The Sisters' House. 



Death of Father Henry, 105 

the priestly belongings and a chair, there was just 
about room to turn around. When desirous of 
studying or writing a sermon the parlor was at his 
disposal ; and, more than once, the unhappy curate 
had to retire — breaking off an eloquent passage in 
the sermon he was working out for the following 
Sunday — or scattering to the winds the few sen- 
tences he had laboriously acquired, to permit a 
visitor to transact his business with the Pastor. 

It was determined to extend the Rectory at a 
cost of three thousand dollars. Meanwhile the in- 
sidious disease which had fastened on Father Henry 
prostrated him. It seemed as if his purgatory had 
to be passed here ; for added to his lung trouble 
came an attack of the measles. And as he lay in 
bed tossing with fever, worn out with want of sleep, 
his ears were assailed by the piercing ring of the 
trowel and the heavy blow and thud of the 
hammer. 

He passed away September 6, 1880, leaving be- 
hind the precious memory of rare virtue, disinter- 
ested zeal, and of a character rich in manly quali- 
ties. His funeral was largely attended by the 
priests of the Diocese, and by the young men of 
Elizabeth, to whom he was specially endeared be- 
cause of his efforts in their welfare. 

The priest's house, now more roomy, was more 
comfortable. But while those improvements made 
his abode more pleasant, and contributed to his con- 
tentment, they availed naught in restoring Father 



io6 The Story of a Parish, 

Sheeran's health. In March, 1881, he received as a 
helper the Rev. Ronald B. MacDonald, large of 
frame and large of heart. It is not possible to ex- 
aggerate the kindness of Father MacDonald to his 
venerable superior. He tried in every way to re- 
lieve him of all anxiety and worry ; and his zeal 
and activity awakened new life in the parish. 
Every want of the old priest was anticipated, every 
yearning of his heart gratified. But the end was at 
hand. The poet Whittier has written of 

" The weariness of unshared power, 
The lonehness of greatness," — 

and how well the lines apply to the priest ! The 
incessant, unremitting discharge of the gravest of 
obligations, the saving of immortal souls ; the isola- 
tion of his position, looked up to for counsel and 
advice, and with few around him to whom he may 
go in trials and perplexities ; he, who must be all to 
all in difficulties and doubtings, is left to cut the 
meshes, for his individual ability is regarded as su- 
perior to that of all combined. In affliction he is 
without sympathy, for he is thought to have steeled 
his heart against the loving impulses which the or- 
dinary mortal is weak enough to betray and not 
strong enough to overcome ; in sickness and death 
he is without prayer, for his long familiarity 
with grace-giving fountains seems to exempt him 
from the help others stand in need of. Like St. 
John, he pillows his head on the breast of Jesus; 




\ 




The Old Pastor Dies, 107 

but, unlike the beloved disciple, he is still peccable 
and needs the succor of prayer this side and be- 
yond the tomb. 

On Sunday, April 3, the trials of Father Shee- 
ran terminated ; and the good priest, full of merit, 
comforted by the holy Sacraments, went to his re- 
ward. At the Masses Father MacDonald astonished 
the congregation by announcing the approaching 
death of their Pastor and asking their prayers in his 
behalf. 

While the body became weaker and weaker his 
mind was still clear, as he frequently inquired about 
the affairs of the parish. In the afternoon it was 
evident that he had not many hours to live ; again 
at Benediction he was recommended to the faithful ; 
and, when Father MacDonald returned to the rec- 
tory, the aged Pastor was in his death agony. 
About four o'clock, peaceful as a child, without 
pain or struggle, his soul passed into the hands of 
his Judge. Father Sheeran was dead. 

The joys of the approaching Easter were over- 
shadowed in gloom. The sadness of Holy Week 
was intensified by the personal grief of the mem- 
bers of the parish. The one theme v/as his vir- 
tue, his kindness of heart, his labors for their 
good. 

The men of the parish organized and appointed 
watches to guard the remains of the good priest 
until he was consigned to Mother Earth. Prepara- 
tions were made for the funeral, which, on account 



io8 The Story of a Parish, 

of the solemnities of the week, was fixed for Wed- 
nesday. The immediate cause of his death was apo- 
plexy. 

Born in Temple Mehill, County Longford, Ire- 
land, 1 813, he was therefore in the sixty-eighth year 
of his age at the time of his death. At the age of 
twelve he left his home and friends in Ireland and 
went to Canada, and from this time he shaped his 
career, began the battle of life and pushed his way 
upward by his own exertions. 

After spending two years in Quebec he took up 
his residence in New York, where he soon found 
employment. 

Despite his daily cares and application to busi- 
ness, he found time to engage in good works. He 
attached himself to the Sunday-school of St. Mary's 
Church, Grand Street, and conscientiously dis- 
charged for a long time the duties of teacher. As 
the tide of emigration was setting westward, he was 
borne along, in the hope of bettering his condition, 
to the country beyond the Ohio, then considered 
the far West. 

For many years he taught school for the Re- 
demptorist Fathers in Monroe, Michigan, and in 
this work he was eminently successful. Educated in 
the stern school of adversity and cast upon his own 
resources at an early age, he was in full sympathy 
with his scholars, whom he desired to spare the 
trials he had experienced in his own life. In addi- 
tion to the onerous work of teacher he added the 



Beginnings of a Busy Life. 109 

responsibility of editor ; and he was for a long time 
a frequent correspondent of the Freeman's Journal, 
His views reflected his own sturdy character and 
boldness, and gained for him a wide reputation. It 
is not to be wondered at that one with his strong 
personality and decided views should enter the arena 
of politics. 

Whilst he never would consent to accept office, 
he was ever ready to do battle for his party, and on 
one occasion was a delegate to a National Conven- 
tion. 

When, however, he entered the priesthood, al- 
though never relinquishing his political views, he ab- 
stained entirely from mingling in politics. 

In 1853 he entered the novitiate of the Redemp- 
torists, in whose service he had for so long a time 
been engaged, and was regarded by them in conse- 
quence as a lay member of their order. 

In 1857, ^ow forty-four years of age, he was or- 
dained priest. He was assigned to labor in New 
Orleans. His restless activity quickly manifested 
itself. He saw the necessity for better accommo- 
dation in the school and proposed to the Father 
Rector the project of erecting a new building. 
When asked of the probable cost of what he con- 
sidered a suitable school he astonished his superior 
by telling him that fifteen thousand dollars would 
be required. The proposal was scouted immediately, 
as the impoverished condition of the parish would 
not permit such an extravagant outlay. But Father 



no The Story of a Parish, 

Sheeran was not a man to submit quietly to the 
repression of a favored project when convinced of 
its absolute necessity. 

Time and again he broached the matter, and was 
so persistent that his superior finally yielded ; but 
gave Father Sheeran distinctly to understand that 
he would have to raise the money himself and be 
solely responsible. 

Imagine the astonishment of the fathers and 
the congregation when, instead of an expense of fif- 
teen thousand dollars, the building erected cost 
almost ten times that amount. 

Owing to the nature of the soil it was found 
necessary to expend a large sum of money in driv- 
ing piles to make the foundation secure. 

At the outbreak of the civil war he was appoint- 
ed Chaplain of the Thirteenth Louisiana Regiment, 
and served with unselfish devotion those under his 
charge throughout the long struggle from the first 
Bull Run to Richmond. Not only did the dying 
and dead command his care ; but in field and 
in camp his fearless denunciation of vice com- 
mon to a soldier's life achieved good results, and 
won for him the esteem and admiration of both 
officers and men. 

The confines of the camp were no limit to his 
zeal in the discharge of his duties. Frequently he 
violated the stringent army regulations by going be- 
yond the lines to attend sick-calls, or to bring the 
consolations of religion to those he found in the 



The Fearless Chaplain. hi 

neighborhood. This brought him in conflict with 
General Stonewall Jackson. 

Going to his tent one day, General Jackson stern- 
ly rebuked the priest for disobeying his orders, and 
reproached him with doing what he would not tol- 
erate in any officer of his command. 

*' Father Sheeran,'* said the General, " you ask 
more favors and take more privileges than any offi- 
cer in the army.*' 

*' General Jackson,'' replied Father Sheeran, look- 
ing the soldier straight in the eye, ^^ I want you to 
understand that as a priest of God I outrank every 
officer in your command — I outrank even you ; and 
when it is a question of duty I shall go wherever 
called." 

The General looked with undisguised astonish- 
ment on the bold priest, and, without replying a 
word, left his tent. 

At the close of the war he returned to New Or- 
leans, but, owing to ill health, he went to Detroit 
and finally to New York ; and by his personal 
efforts raised most of the money for the construc- 
tion of the Redemptorist Mission Church in South 
Fifth Avenue. 

When he left the Congregation he visited Bishop 
Bayley in Newark, and tendered his services. Bish- 
op Bayley rather bluntly told him that there was 
no vacancy in the diocese. As, however, he was on 
the point of leaving the room the Bishop called him 
back and said that the Morristown parish was with- 



112 The Story of a Parish, 

out a pastor, and, as nobody seemed to want it, he 
might take it, if he chose. 

Father Sheeran replied that he would go up and 
see it, and on his return give the Bishop a decided 
answer. 

When he went back to Newark, after surveying 
the field in Morristown, he said to the Bishop that 
it was a nice country parish, and consented to take 
it. Thus was he appointed Rector of this mission. 
He at once entered upon a long course of labor, 
which terminated with his death. 

By his influence and exertions, and in his under- 
taking cheerfully aided by his parishioners, the Church 
of the Assumption was built, which ranks among the 
finest churches in the State. 

He devoted great attention to the school, caused 
a new and large cemetery to be purchased and laid 
out, and enlarged the pastoral residence, so as to 
meet the wants of the parish. In addition to all 
this he attended unaided to the wants of the par- 
ishioners until age and infirmity compelled him to 
seek for assistance. In his death the Church lost a 
zealous and active worker, and the Catholics of this 
parish a priest whose best monument will be the 
great work he has left behind him, which will long 
perpetuate his memory. 

The funeral services took place on Thursday 
morning, April 7, at the Church, at 9:30. After the 
singing of the office for the dead a high Mass of Re- 
quiem was said by the Rev. P. Smith, of Jersey City, 



McM aster's Tribute. 113 

assisted by some thirty priests, among them Fathers 
McNulty, Vassallo, Corrigan, and others well known 
here. The sermon was preached by Monsignor 
Doane, of Newark, and the ceremony of blessing 
the body was performed by Most Rev. Archbishop 
Corrigan, of New York. 

He was buried in the plot, close to the gate, 
selected by himself years before. 

Mr. McMaster, an old friend, in the editorial 
column of the Freeman's Journal noticed his death, 
and among other things said of him : 

** At an early age he came to New York. He 
was engaged here, for many v years, in business. Out 
of a desire to do good he went to Monroe, Michi- 
gan, to teach a parochial school, under the pastoral 
care of Father Smulders, of the Redemptorists. Mr. 
Sheeran married and had two children — a daughter 
who died in the Benedictine Convent, in Westmore- 
land County, Pa., and a son who died in the novi- 
tiate of the Redemptorists. The death of the latter 
inspired Mr. Sheeran with a desire, gallant and noble 
in its sentiments, to take the place of his deceased 
boy in the Redemptorist novitiate. He entered, 
and notwithstanding the difficulties of age somewhat 
too much advanced, and habits of personal indepen- 
dence settled, finished his novitiate and his scholastic 
course, and was ordained. His disregard of danger 
in face of the yellow fever has been spoken of in 
some of the daily papers. That is the rule for 
Catholic Priests as Soldiers of the Cross.'' 

The diocese was now without a Bishop The Rt. 



114 The Story of a Parish, 

Rev. M. A. Corrigan, D.D., was appointed coadjutor 
Archbishop of New York, with the right of succes- 
sion, and assigned to the titular See of Petra, Octo- 
ber I, 1880. 

The Vicar-General, the Rt. Rev. Monsignor George 
H. Doane, was deputed by the Holy See to adminis- 
ter the affairs of the diocese until the appointment 
of the Bishop. Monsignor Doane requested Father 
MacDonald to discharge the duties of rector pend- 
ing the appointment of a pastor. 

Father MacDonald accomplished a great deal dur- 
ing his brief stay and made many friends outside 
of the congregation. So strong a hold had he on 
the affection of the parishioners that strenuous efforts 
were made to install him rector. Had he been 
regularly affiliated to the diocese, and had his term 
of service been of sufficient duration, his chances 
for a permanent appointment would have been ex- 
cellent ; but the Rt. Rev. Administrator, in view of 
these circumstances, could not accede to the wishes 
of the petitioners. 

On Sunday, June 12, 1881, the acting Pastor an- 
nounced to the congregation that his connection with 
the church was about to be severed, and that the 
Rev. Joseph M. Flynn was appointed Pastor by 
Monsignor Doane, and would arrive the latter part 
of the week and begin his work among them. 
Father MacDonald bespoke for the new Pastor the 
same kind treatment he himself had experienced, 
and took occasion to thank them for the many acts 



Father MacDonald. 115 

of kindness shown to him during his appointment. 
The congregation was visibly affected, and it was 
with sorrow that they parted with the priest whom 
they had learned to love. 

On Saturday, June 18, the new Pastor, Father 
Flynn, arrived, and Father MacDonald took his de- 
parture for other fields. 




CHAPTER VIII. 

Joseph MICHAEL FLYNN was bom Janu- 
ary 7, 1848, in Springfield, Mass. The early 
years of his life were spent chiefly in New York. 
He attended school, taught by the Christian Broth- 
ers, in St. Vincent's Academy until 1859, when, on 
the removal of his family to Newark, N. J., he was 
sent to the parochial school attached to St. Patrick's 
Cathedral, then located on High Street, now occu- 
pied by the Women's Hospital connected with St, 
Michael's. 

In 1 861 he left school and entered a printing- 
office. In May, 1864, he enlisted in Company B, 
Thirty-seventh New Jersey Volunteers, and was 
mustered into the United States service June 22. 

This regiment, organized in response to a call 
issued by Governor Parker for one hundred days' 
service, was made up chiefly of youths ranging from 
sixteen to eighteen years of age ; and when Colonel 
(now General) E. Burd Grubb, the commander, was 
taunted with bringing down to the front a lot of 
chickens, he retorted : '' Yes, but they are all game 
chickens." And so it turned out. 

Although their term of service was short, this 
regiment did great work in the intrenchments be- 
fore Richmond and in front of Petersburg. 

Foster, in his New Jersey and the Rebellion^ thus 

writes of the Thirty-seventh New Jersey Volunteers : 

116 




Very Rev. Joseph M. I^lynn, V.F. 



Veterans Complimented. 117 

^* This regiment remained in the rear of the Hare 
House Battery until their term of service had nearly- 
expired, doing duty in the trenches in 'the front/ 
and contributing their quota to the fatigue parties 
working on the fortifications in that vicinity. On 
the 25th of September the Tenth Corps retired 
from the front, being reHeved by the Second Corps, 
and moved towards Deep Bottom, to take part in 
the movement upon Chapin's Bluff, which took place 
a short time afterwards. The same day the follow- 
ing highly flattering general order was promulgated : 

'* * Headquarters Tenth Army Corps, Army 
OF THE James, before Petersburg, Va. 

'''General Order No.j^.: September 25, 1864. 

"*The Thirty-seventh New Jersey Volunteers, on 
the 26th instant, will leave for Trenton, N. J., re- 
porting to the Superintendent of Recruiting Service 
of the State, to be mustered out of service at the 
expiration of its enlistment. 

'^^The Major-General commanding cannot part 
with this regiment of one hundred days' men with- 
out expressing his gratification and satisfaction with 
their conduct. They have endured fatigue, encoun- 
tered the rebel foe like good soldiers, and have 
gained the esteem of the veterans of this corps. 

" * He is confident that when they return to New 
Jersey, a State that has furnished such soldiers as 
Kearney, Mott, and Torbert, they will continue to 
sustain the veterans they have left at the front, 
doing what Sherman advised : " Fighting this out 
like men.'' 

" ' The Major-General commanding will be pleased 
to assist the commanding officer of this regiment in 
organizing it to aid in the finale of the rebellion in 
conjunction with this corps. 



ii8 The Story of a Parish, 

*' ' The Quartermaster's Department will furnish 
transportation. By command of 

" ' Major-General D. B. BiRNEY. 

'' ' Edward W. Smith, Assistant Adjutant-General/ 

** It was an unusual occurrence for the command- 
ant of a corps to issue a general order so compli- 
mentary in its tone upon the muster out of a single 
regiment which had done nothing more than this 
one had to distinguish itself. But, remembering 
that this was a perfectly raw regiment, composed of 
men of all ages and degrees of imperfection, and in 
no small degree of mere boys ; that it arrived in 
three days after leaving its camp at Trenton within 
the range of rebel cannon, and there remained until 
its return home, the men going into the ' glory 
holes * in the immediate front at Petersburg, and 
there doing their duty like veterans, with very few 
opportunities for drill or improvement, it is not re- 
markable that the Major-General commanding the 
corps should deem them worthy of the compliment 
which he bestowed upon them. The regiment was 
engaged in no battles, but in the dangerous duty of 
the trenches and rifle-pits five were killed and twen- 
ty-nine wounded. In addition, there were thirteen 
other deaths, mostly from typhoid fever. The regi- 
ment was mustered out on the ist of October, 
1864." 

Private Flynn was promoted Seventh Corporal, 
before Richmond, July 3, 1864. 

On his return he resumed work at the printing- 
case and press, and enlisted in the Second Regi- 
ment of the State MiHtia. 



Father Flynn's College Career. 119 

The desire of his childhood to enter the sacred 
ministry was reawakened at this period, and in Sep- 
tember, 1865, he entered St. Charles's College, near 
Ellicott City, Md. His health, never vigorous, 
weakened by the exposure and incidents of a sol- 
dier's life, broke down in the first year of his col- 
lege course. 

His physicians ordered him to abandon his 
studies, giving as a reason his delicate constitution, 
which was unequal to the strain a long course of 
studies would impose upon it. For four years, how- 
ever, through many ups and downs, now almost at 
death's door and again apparently in renewed 
health, he persevered, and in March, 1869, was per- 
mitted by Bishop Bayley to enter Seton Hall Col- 
lege, South Orange, N. J. 

The good Bishop thought it useless for the 
young Levite to pursue his studies further, and 
consented to his entering Seton Hall, as he ex- 
pressed it, ^^ simply to gratify the wishes of a dying 
man." 

In 1870 he was graduated from the College, and 
in the fall of the same year entered the Seminary 
attached to the College. On the completion of the 
four years' course of theology he was ordained to 
holy priesthood May 30, 1874. 

His class was one of the largest ever ordained 
in the Diocesan Seminary. On June 13, 1874, he 
was appointed assistant to Rev. Patrick Corrigan, 
pastor of St. Bridget's Church, Jersey City. The 



I20 The Story of a Parish, 

training received here shaped his career. To him 
was entrusted by the pastor the care of the schools, 
the training of the Sanctuary boys, both for serving 
the Altar and singing the Vesper services, and the 
sick-calls of a very unhealthy locality. The malar- 
ious character of the neighborhood so affected him 
that his physicians insisted upon his removal to a 
healthier region. 

In November, 1875, Bishop Corrigan assigned 
him to assist Father Sheeran in Morristown. Hither 
he came completely shattered in health, and his 
rapid recovery led to his removal to other fields, 
where laborers were in greater need. So, after a 
brief and pleasant stay in Morristown, full of grati- 
tude to the pastor for his kindness and to the peo- 
ple for their sympathy, he left February, 1876, for 
St. Peter's Church, New Brunswick. 

For three months he discharged the duties of 
assistant priest to the Rev. Patrick Downes, then 
administrator of that parish. 

On May 7, 1876, he was called by the Right 
Rev. M. A. Corrigan, D.D., to St. Patrick's Cathe- 
dral, Newark, and made the Bishop's private secre- 
tary. 

He successively filled the offices of Diocesan 
Chancellor, Master of Ceremonies, Secretary of the 
Commission of Investigation, and for over a year, 
while Vicar-General Doane was abroad in search of 
health, administered the parish, until his return in 
1879. On June 15, 1881, the Right Rev. Monsignor 



Father Flynn Pastor. 121 

Doane appointed Father Flynn rector of the Church 
of the Assumption, Morristown. 

On Saturday, June 18, Father Flynn arrived at 
his new post and assumed the responsibility of Pas- 
tor. It did not take him long to realize how firm 
a hold Father MacDonald had upon the hearts of 
the congregation, how earnestly they desired to re- 
tain him, for their reception to the new priest was 
by no means enthusiastic or warm. A single visitor 
came to him on the night of his arrival to bid him 
welcome to his new field of labor; and, while can- 
didly expressing his admiration for the outgoing 
administrator, declared his desire and intention to 
aid the new pastor in every way. 

On Sunday morning Father Flynn introduced 
himself to his parishioners at both Masses. At the 
High Mass he preached on the Holy Eucharist, as 
the Sunday was within the octave of the Feast of 
Corpus Christi. At the close of the sermon he thus 
addressed his audience : 

^^ My feelings this morning, dear brethren, are 
akin to those of the captain of a vessel sailing 
for a distant port. He knows that his vessel is 
staunch. He knows the location of the port to 
which he is bound. But what may happen from the 
time he leaves the harbor where his vessel has been 
moored until he arrives at his destination, he knows 
not. Fair weather and foul ; the fierce buffeting of 
mighty waves ; the wearisome annoyance of calms, 
must he expect. 



122 The Story of a Parish, 

"' So I come before you to-day, conscious of my 
inability to rival those who have preceded me in 
the pastorate, and yet full of trust and confidence 
in you who have so generously seconded their 
efforts. 

^' It is impossible for you to overestimate the 
labors of your late pastor, Father Sheeran ; and you 
would indeed be ungrateful were you to forget 
the kindness and zeal of Father MacDonald. The 
reverence in which you hold the memory of both is 
my great encouragement. Without any previous 
experience, I may say, in the administration of a 
parish, you must take me as I am. I can only pro- 
mise to labor for you to the best of my ability, and 
to guard sacredly the trust committed to my 
charge. God works powerfully through secondary 
causes, and makes use of the meanest instruments 
to achieve the greatest results to His honor and 
glory. Let us assist one another by prayer. While 
ready and willing 'to spend myself and to be spent* 
in the great work of the salvation of your souls, I 
must look to you to second my efforts. From a 
financial stand-point it is smooth sailing ; for, in 
view of the many undertakings which have been 
carried on to a successful issue within the past ten 
years, the debt is very insignificant. With regard 
to the spiritual condition of the parish I can say 
but little, as time alone will make me familiar with 
your needs and requirements in that direction. It 
cannot be gainsaid that the capital sin of the age is 



His First Sermon. 123 

indifference in those things which pertain to God, 
and which are above the realm of this world. In 
the business of life man is apt to become so ab- 
sorbed in making provision for the wants of the 
body as to lose sight of the interests of his soul. 

'' Some would measure the success of the pastor 
by the annual income of the church, by the magnifi- 
cent buildings, by the splendor of the ritual, and 
the large attendance at the services ; but not so. 
The kingdom of God is from within. That pastor 
is blessed and consoled who sees around the con- 
fessional throngs of penitents, who feeds the multi- 
tudes weekly, if not daily, with the Bread of Life. 
The benediction of God rests on that parish where 
virtue triumphs and vice is rendered powerless ; 
where the old edify by their example of Christian 
virtue ; and the young, by their loyalty to the 
Church, by their efforts to be a light shining in the 
midst of darkness, give hope of the future success 
of the Church. As, on the one hand, I may not 
fail to give to the temporalities that care and pru- 
dence which they may demand, I must, nevertheless, 
put forward my best efforts to labor for your 
spiritual and eternal interests. So let us on — I to 
toil and labor, you to respond to my efforts, that 
one day both pastor and people, happy in the pre- 
cious possession of never-ending happiness, we shall 
reap our reward. So let us work that on the last 
great day I may regard you as my glory and my 
crown.'* 



124 The Story of a Parish. 

An active movement was set on foot to raise a 
monument to the memory of Father Sheeran. The 
congregation responded generously, and a massive 
granite monoHth marks his last resting-place. 

To promote devotion, to bring down the special 
blessing of God on the parish, a statue of the Sa- 
cred Heart was placed in a niche at the Gospel side 
of the altar. 

Special attention was given to church societies. 
These societies, approved by many Popes and en- 
riched with spiritual blessings, are the very life of a 
parish. They foster a spirit of prayer, and lead to 
the frequentation of the Sacraments. Their mem- 
bers are sanctified, and their very example is a 
standing reproach to the indifferent and the luke- 
warm. The sight of men and women approaching 
the holy table leads others to imitate their ex- 
ample. 

A jubilee was proclaimed this year by our Holy 
Father Leo XHI. To prepare the faithful for its 
graces the Rev. James McCallan, of the Society of 
St. Sulpice, was invited to preach the retreat. The 
spiritual exercises were enriched by the eloquence 
of the reverend preacher. Large numbers approach- 
ed the Sacraments. 

The Young Ladies' Sodality, organized in 1877 
through the efforts of the Rev. Father Giraud, was 
desirous of obtaining a suitable banner. The mem- 
bers quickly raised a sufficient sum to defray the 
necessary expenses. The work was entrusted to the 




Rt. Rev. Winand Michael Wigger, D.D. 



Rt, Rev, Win and Michael Wigger. 125 

cloistered Dominican Nuns in Newark, N. J. They 
fully maintained their high reputation for artistic 
skill. The banner is of white silk, embroidered in 
blue, and in the centre is a beautiful copy in oil of 
Murillo's *^ Assumption/' 

In August news reached the expectant Catholics 
of the Diocese of Newark that the See made va- 
cant by the promotion of Archbishop Corrigan was 
filled. The future Bishop was to be the gentle, 
saintly, and zealous Dr. Wigger, of Madison, N. J. 

Winand Michael Wigger, born December 9, 
1 841, in New York City, received his classical edu- 
cation in St. Francis Xavier's College, New York, 
and his theological training at Seton Hall Seminary 
and at the College Brignole-Sale, Genoa. He was 
ordained priest in 1865, and sailed for America 
October 2 of the same year. 

Cholera broke out on the steamer Atalanta, and 
the young priest was indefatigable in his attention 
to the sick. On the arrival of the vessel at quaran- 
tine, he asked and obtained permission to remain 
on the pest-stricken vessel until the last vestige of 
the dread disease had disappeared, and for two 
weeks he stood at the post of danger. 

Bishop Bayley attached him to the staff of the 
Cathedral, and in this extensive parish for four 
years he edified all by his piety, zeal, and fidelity. 
The sick, the poor, the distressed, found in him a 
true friend, whose kind words encouraged them, 



126 The Story of a Parish. ' 

and whose generous hand was ever ready to assist 
them. 

In this field he won the esteem of his superiors, 
and the love and admiration of his flock, and in 
1869 was promoted to the Madison parish, made 
vacant by the death of Father D'Arcy. While here 
he busied himself with the interests of his new 
parish, and purchased land and erected a church 
and school in Chatham. 

In May, 1873, the financial disaster which had 
almost ruined St. John's Church, Orange, made it 
necessary for the Bishop to secure a pastor to over- 
come the many difficulties. Bishop Corrigan looked 
to Dr. Wigger as eminently fit to cope with the 
situation. Without a moment's hesitation, Dr. 
Wigger abandoned the ease and amenities of Madi- 
son to obey the voice of his superior, and to en- 
gage in the almost hopeless task. In less than six 
months he paid eleven thousand dollars of the in- 
debtedness. In February, 1874, at his own request, 
he was relieved from St. John's and assigned to 
the pastoral charge of Summit. 

In June, 1876, he was again transferred to Madi- 
son, and was welcomed by his old parishioners, who 
recognized the excellent traits of the good priest, 
and also by those outside of the church, who es- 
teemed him for his sterling Christian qualities. 

In vain did he try to evade the great dignity 
and responsibility of Bishop. Rome was inexor- 
able. He was consecrated by Archbishop Corrigan, 



The New Bell, 127 

assisted by Bishop Loughlin and Bishop McQuaid, 
in the Cathedral, Newark, October 18, 1881. Not 
only the title but the mantle of his predecessors 
has fallen upon Bishop Wigger. The zeal of a Bay- 
ley, the gentleness of a Corrigan are his. Since his 
elevation he has not only perpetuated the spirit of 
his predecessors, maintained the discipline which 
characterized their administration, but he has ad- 
vanced the spiritual and temporal interests of the 
flock over which he so worthily presides. 

Up to this period the tower of the Catholic 
Church in Morristown had stood like a dumb moni- 
tor. The congregation had to trust to the uncer- 
tainty of the clock at home to reach the church in 
time for the services. The sweet message of the 
bell had not as yet reached their ears. The Pastor 
set out for Baltimore, and found in the establish- 
ment of McShane & Co. a splendid bell, which had 
been made by that firm for the Atlanta Exposition. 
On the morning of his arrival it had just been 
taken from the mould, and word was sent to the 
bell-founders that the managers of the Exposition 
desired them to send a chime instead of a single 
bell. Thus it happened that the bell, which had 
cost so much extra care and money, was thrown on 
the hands of the firm. 

It was offered to Father Flynn for exactly the 
price of the metal ; but it was stipulated that, in 
case of purchase, the bell should first be used in 



128 The Story of a Parish, 

the Oriole celebration, which was being held at this 
time. The bell was bought for six hundred and 
fifty-four dollars and forty-eight cents. In the 
evening, as Father Flynn was on his way to take 
the train, he saw the glare of the torchlight pro- 
cession winding through the streets of Baltimore, 
and heard, ever and anon, high above the noise of 
martial music and the shouts of the bystanders, the 
sweet tone of the bell which was soon to be hung 
in the spire of our Church in Morristown. 

The first official act of the newly-consecrated 
Bishop was to bless this new bell. On Wednesday 
evening, October 19, 1881, the Right Rev. Winand 
Michael Wigger, D.D., assisted by the Rev. Michael 
A. McManus and the Rev. Joseph M. Flynn, in 
presence of a large congregation, solemnly blessed 
the bell, following every detail of the ritual for this 
beautiful ceremony, and named it in honor of Ire- 
land's great Apostle, St. Patrick. Archbishop Corri- 
gan preached at the close of the ceremony, and 
gave an interesting history of the origin and sig- 
nificance of bells in Catholic worship. Mr. Martin 
O'Brien and Miss Maud Clarke acted as sponsors. 
Messrs. John McAnerny and Martin O'Brien, Mrs. 
R. H. Clarke and Miss Maud Clarke, each con- 
tributed fifty dollars towards the purchase, and the 
balance was raised by the congregation. Morning, 
noon, and night the glad tidings, '' The Word WAS 
MADE FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US," are wafted 
far and wide, lifting the heart from the cares and 



The Angel us. 129 



anxieties of this world to the hopeful contempla- 
tion of the peace beyond, tempering the miseries 
and afflictions of life with the thought that He 
walked the rugged path before us, and awaits at 
the end of our pilgrimage to crown and comfort 
us. Not by the Catholics alone, but even by those 
outside the true Fold, is the deep significance of 
this touching devotion to the Incarnate God felt 
and realized. 

The Rev. E. C. L. Browne, a Protestant minister 
residing in Charleston, S. C, contributed the fol- 
lowing poem to the News and Courier of that city. 
It is prefaced by the following : 

'' For a long time I lived in close proximity to 
St. Peter's Catholic Church and School, and the 
soft-toned bell that regulated the life of the wor- 
shippers came unconsciously to regulate mine. I 
grew to depend upon its constant and unobtrusive 
voice. Its morning, noon, and evening peal was as 
a ^ note of soft recall,' speaking in something like 
the language I have inadequately ascribed to it 
here : 

** The Angelus is ringing ! 
Rise, heart, to grateful prayer ; 
Rise and salute the new day dawning. 
Remember Whose strong love, 
Descending from above, 

Has held thee in its tender care, 
And kept thee till the morning. 
Oh I rise and sing Whose constant thought 
And faithful might. 
In dark and light, 
Have life to conscious blessing brought, 
Thy tribute to His love. 

The Angelus is ringing ! 



130 The Story of a Parish, 

" The Angelas is ringing ! 
As comes high noon with crowding care, 
How press Hfe's duties hard around thee ! 
How quick the world with wiles has bound thee ! 
But that clear voice from upper air 
Recalls thee from thy strife. 
In fulness of the day, 
Lift up thy heart and pray. 
On higher, holier life 

The Angelus is ringing ! 

** The Angelus is ringing ! 
Welcome the night with hush and rest. 
Peace once more settles down 
Upon the turbulent town. 
Let this evangel floating o'er ^ 

Recall it to thy heart once more, 
And quiet to thy breast. 
Come deeper thoughts with deepening ray ; 
Day's sordid themes 
And all low dreams. 
Be by this high suggestion sw^ept away ! 
The Angelus is ringing ! 

" Morn, noon, and night, O faithful bell ! 
Thy warnings to my conscience call. 
Though on the ear unmarked they fall." 

In the appointment of Father Flynn to the pas- 
torate of Morristovvn by Right Rev. Monsignor 
Doane, the Administrator, there was question of the 
extent of his power in the premises. Hence, to 
supply any defect which may have existed in his 
title, the Right Rev. Bishop Wigger wrote to the 
incumbent : 

^^ Madison, October 28, 1881. 
'' Dear Father Flynn : 

"• As, to say the least, it is doubtful that your ap- 
pointment by Monsignor Doane to the parish of 



Morris Plains Catholics. 131 



Morristown was valid — to remove all doubt, and to 
render your position secure, I hereby appoint you 
Rector of the Church of the Assumption, Morris- 
town. I am sure that you will work successfully, 
and do much good in the parish. Indeed, you 
have already done much good during the few 
months that you have been there. 

" Wishing you everything that is good, I remain 
your sincere friend, 

>J^ '' W. M. WiGGER, 

" Bishop of Newark^ 

In the Autumn his parochial visitation brought 
Father Flynn in closer touch with the little band of 
Catholics in Morris Plains. The State Retreat for 
those afflicted with mental disorders contained a 
very considerable number of Catholic inmates, both 
patients and attendants. 

To journey to Morristown to Mass was, in the 
case of one class, an impossibility ; of the other, a 
matter of serious difficulty. Moreover, at Wilson- 
ville, adjacent to the Retreat, lived a score of 
families who, only at long intervals and in fine 
weather, were able to walk to the mother Church. 
A census of the Catholics was taken, and the feasi- 
bility of starting a church laid before Bishop Wig- 
ger. In a letter dated November 21, 1881, his 
Lordship indicated his views : " Your kind letter, 
giving account of the number of Catholics in Morris 
Plains, has been duly received. From your report 
it is quite evident that a little church is needed at 



132 The Story of a Parish. 

Morris Plains, and I empower you to purchase a 
suitable plot of ground on which to build one/' 

Accordingly a site was secured ; and, until the 
erection of the church, an effort was made to have 
Mass in one of the houses conveniently located and 
sufficiently roomy for the accommodation of those 
who might desire to attend. 

This, and the increasing ministerial work in 
Morristown, and the important supervision of the 
school, made the services of an assistant priest a 
necessity. December 3 the Bishop wrote : ** Father 
Whelan may be relieved at any time, and, if so, 
will be sent to you, as you desired.'* 

The Rev. Isaac P. Whelan reported some time 
in the month of December, and the Right Rev. 
Bishop added to the other duties of the Morristown 
priests the care of the Whippany mission. 

On Christmas day Holy Mass was said for the 
first time in Morris Plains in the house of Andrew 
Murphy. The room was crowded, and the scene 
recalled to many the stories told them by their 
fathers of Catholicity forty years ago. 

Thereafter Mass was regularly celebrated every 
Sunday. Between attending to the two Masses in 
Morristown, one in Whippany, and another at 
Morris Plains, Sunday was a busy day for the 
priests, who, from early morn to high noon, knew 
not a moment's rest. 




CHAPTER IX. 

SHORT time before his death Thomas Burns 
donated his house and lot to Father Flynn. 

This valuable property, in front of the Church, 
was the object of much solicitude on the part of 
previous pastors. Although a personal gift. Father 
Flynn deeded it to the Church. The Sisters of 
Charity, engaged in school work, came from the 
Mother House daily and returned at the close of 
school. But, in the diocese of Newark, the Sisters 
of Charity, an offshoot of Mount St. Vincent, New 
York, introduced by Bishop Bayley and trained ac- 
cording to his spirit, are something more than 
teachers, for their work extends beyond the class- 
room to the Sanctuary, to the sick-bed, and to the 
homes where poverty prevails. 

The assistance rendered by them to the Pas- 
tor, their efificiency in matters beyond his reach, 
the influence of their example, cannot be too 
highly estimated, or receive the due measure of 
praise. 

The house was altered and furnished, and in 
January, 1882, Sister Gaudentia, as Sister Servant, 
with Sisters Cecilia Rose, Eugenia, and Teresita, 
took up their permanent residence among us. 

The Young Men's Association, which had been 
formed in the previous Autumn, rented two rooms in 
the Bates building, and in order to furnish them and 

133 



134 The Story of a Parish, - 

to adapt them to their needs, a bazaar was held on 
February 13, 14, and 15. A neat sum was realized, 
and thus the first encouragement was given to that 
body which was to effect so much good by elevat- 
ing and refining our Catholic young men. Among 
other benefactors was Mrs. Revere, who donated a 
billiard-table. An antique bath-tub from the Rec- 
tory found place in a room partitioned off from the 
rear apartment. To these humble and meagrely 
furnished rooms came every evening the founders of 
our present Association. They were their own jani- 
tor. On entering the rooms the dignified directors 
would take off coat and hat, and would away, some 
to start the fire, others to sweep the rooms, others 
to wash the cuspidores. All found something to do, 
and were cheered in their work by a running fire 
of jest and gibe, and merry laugh and song. Many 
of the old members affirm that these were the 
brightest and happiest days they have ever known. 

Mr. Charles H. Knight, at this time, volunteered 
to go among our townsmen and raise a sum suf^- 
cient to decorate the Church. His efforts were 
eminently successful. He handed over to the Pastor 
seven hundred and sixty-five dollars. Before, how- 
ever, undertaking this work, it was thought advis- 
able to improve the ventilation of the Church. This 
was effected by opening every other one of the 
clerestory windows, and the adoption of the Hitch- 
ings patent attachment secures an abundant supply 



The Death of St, Columba, 135 

of fresh air, making the Church sweet and whole- 
some at all times. 

The decoration was entrusted to Herman Bodes, 
and the two paintings, one of St. Patrick preaching 
to the King at Tara, the other of the death-scene 
of St. Columba in the monastery chapel at lona, 
are the work of Gustave Kinkeln. The first paint- 
ing, on the Epistle side of the choir, recalls the 
story familiar to all ; with the second, on the Gospel 
side, not many are acquainted. It will be best to 
embody the graphic account of the great pulpit 
orator. Father Tom Burke : 

^^ Columba was now seventy years of age, and he 
prayed that he might die at Easter. God sent an 
angel to tell him that his prayer was granted. Now 
mark the Irish heart again. The moment that he 
heard that his prayer was granted he prayed to 
God to let him live for another month, for he said 
to the monks : ' My children, I pray that I might 
die to pass my Easter Sunday in Heaven. God 
said he would grant my prayer ; but then I thought 
that you are after fasting a long Lent upon bread 
and water, and that you are all looking forward to 
Easter Sunday as a day of joy, and if I died on 
that day it would be a sad and sorrowful day, so I 
asked my God to put it off a month more.' The 
month passed ; it was Saturday night, and Co- 
lumba in the morning told his children the monks, 
*This night I will die and take my rest.' 

^^ The monks were accustomed to go into the 
church precisely at twelve o'clock. The bells rang 
and Columba was always in the church at prayer. 



136 The Story of a Parish, 

When he was not studying, he went before the 
others into the dark church — there was no hght — 
and knelt at the foot of the altar. Dermot, his 
servant, his faithful man, followed the old man, and 
groping about in the church for him, at first not 
being able to see him, exclaimed, ^ O father, dear 
father ! where art thou T A feeble moan soon was 
heard, and he came to where he lay. The other 
monks came in and brought torches in their hands, 
and found Columba stretched out, dying, grasping 
the foot of the altar ; dying under the very eyes of 
that Lord and God whom he loved so well ; dying 
with a heart long since broken with love for the 
Lord Jesus, and for the dear land that he left behind. 
They lifted him up, and with his dying lips he said, 
^ Come around me, that I may give you my last 
blessing.' He lifted his aged hand, and before the 
sign of the Cross was made the hand fell by his 
side, the light of human love departed from his 
eye, and one of the most glorious souls of apostles 
and martyrs that ever lived was borne aloft by the 
angels to join the illustrious band of Erin's Saints.'' 



The Church was very much improved in appear- 
ance, the light colors employed on the walls and 
in the panels of the roof seemed to give greater 
breadth and height, and the subdued tones of salmon 
and light blue, the spotless purity of the altar in 
white and gold, standing out from the reredos of 
brown with emblems in olive green, impart to the 
edifice a devotional character which impresses every 
visitor. Sister Gaudentia went among the parish- 
ioners and, with the offerings she received, purchased' 



Pastor of Morris Plains, 137 

the Wilton carpet for the Sanctuary and side 
chapels. 

On Ascension Thursday, May 18, 1882, the Right 
Rev. Bishop Wigger, D.D., reopened the Church. 
At the Pontifical Mass the school children sang for 
the first time. The Sacrament of Confirmation was 
administered ; and, in the evening, there was a re- 
ception of members and enrollment in the Young 
Ladies* Sodality and Children of Mary. At the 
same time those who had been confirmed renewed 
their baptismal vows. 

Sunday, June 18, the beautiful Munich statue of 
St. Anthony of Padua, presented by Mrs. Patrick 
Welsh for her son John Vincent, was blessed and 
placed in a niche on the Epistle side of the altar. 

The congregation had by this time outgrown 
the limits of the half-past eight and half-past ten 
o'clock Masses. The hours were inconvenient for 
many of the housekeepers and domestics, and the 
increased number of children was huddled wherever 
accommodation could be found in the side aisles and 
gallery. Fortunately the Bishop at this period 
detached Morris Plains and Whippany, made them a 
separate parish, and placed over them as pastor the 
Rev. James J. Brennan. 

On July 13, 1882, the Rev. D. McCartie, the 
Bishop's Secretary, wrote to Father Flynn : 

"The absence of several rectors and assistants, 



138 The Story of a Parish, 

who have obtained permission to travel for the 
restoration of health, has caused a deficiency of 
priests in some parishes of the Diocese. In order 
to supply the wants of the churches deprived of this 
ministration, the Bishop finds it necessary to dis- 
tribute more equally the reverend assistants who are 
at present available. 

''For this reason he is constrained to remove 
Father Whelan from Morristown, and transfer him 
to a parish where his services are more urgently 
required. As the duty of attending Morris Plains 
would be too onerous a task for you unaided, his 
Lordship has considered it advisable to annex that 
mission to the parish of Whippany, the revenues of 
which will be thus rendered more easily adequate 
to the support of a priest. 

''You are requested to furnish Father Brennan 
with all requisite information regarding the condition 
and management of the mission, and to effect such 
arrangements as may enable him to assume full 
charge of it within one week from the present 
date." 

The vacancy created by Father Whelan's removal 
w^as supplied by the Jesuit Fathers of St. Peter's 
Church, Jersey City. 

Father Brennan entered with zeal upon his new 
duties. The fine w^eather tempted him to gather 
his little flock under the shelter of a tent, and thus 
the Catholics of Morris Plains worshipped their God 
as did the Israelites of old. On October 11, 1882, 
Bishop Wigger wrote to Father Flynn : 

" I hereby formally delegate you, and ask you to 




Rev. James J. Brennan. 



St, Virgil, Bishop and Scientist. 139 

be kind enough, to lay the corner-stone of the new 
Church to be built in Morris Plains." 

When the erection of the Church was first con- 
templated Father Flynn desired and intended to 
place it under the patronage of St. Virgil, Arch- 
bishop of Saltzburg, one of the most illustrious of 
God's servants, but eminent for his learning, apos- 
tolic zeal, and ceaseless energy in preaching the 
faith and exterminating heresy. Feargal, or the 
modernized O'Farrell, was born in the South of 
Ireland of a princely family. He profited so well 
by the teaching in the schools for which Ireland 
was noted, that, on his arrival in France, about the 
year 743, he was most graciously received by Pepin, 
son of the great Charlemagne, and recommended by 
him to Otilo, Duke of Bavaria. It is interesting to 
know that this Irish monk was among the first, if 
not the very first, to teach the existence of antipo- 
des and the sphericity of the earth. The fact is 
easily demonstrated and comprehended in our day, 
but in the time of St. Virgil it was a bold doctrine 
to broach and required unusual strength of charac- 
ter to stand by convictions so counter to all pre- 
conceived notions and to the erroneous views on 
cosmogony in full vigor at that period. He built a 
magnificent basilica in honor of his predecessor St. 
Rupert, in which he enshrined the relics of the 
Saint, and which he made his cathedral church. He 
was canonized in the Lateran Basilica July, 1233, 
by Pope Gregory IX. In life and after his soul was 



I40 The Story of a Parish, 

freed from its prison of clay God set the seal of 
His approval on the life and virtues of our Saint 
by the many miraculous cures effected not only at 
his tomb, but in St. Mary's, Morristown, which 
prides itself on the possession of a portion of his 
precious relics. 

Father Brennan entered warmly into the views 
of his predecessor and decided to place the little 
Church under the protection of this great Confessor. 
For the first time in America did St. Virgil receive 
this honor. New interest was awakened in the his- 
tory of his life and labors, and the descendants of 
his fellovz-countrymen were quick to give him the 
love and reverence to which the servants of God 
are entitled, and which redound entirely to His 
greater honor and glory. 

Although it goes beyond the present period of 
our narrative, the history of St. Virgil's is outlined 
from its inception to the end. 

Soon after his appointment the Rev. Joseph M. 
Flynn sought to collect the few scattered Catholics 
north of Morristown. He wished also to afford the 
opportunity of hearing Mass to those employed in 
the State Asylum for the Insane at Morris Plains. 
Consequently, after due announcement, the Holy 
Sacrifice was offered on Christmas Day, 1881, in the 
parlor of Mr. Andrew Murphy, at Wilsonville, near 
the Asylum, three miles from Morristown and one 
from Morris Plains. 1 



An Humble Sanctuary, 141 

For over six months he continued the service, 
made collections and obtained subscriptions to the 
amount of $444.68, which he used to purchase an 
acre of ground, at a cost of $500, on Hanover 
Avenue. 

On June 14, 1882, the Rev, James Joseph Bren- 
nan, recently of St. John's Church, Paterson, was 
appointed Pastor of Whippany and Northfield. On 
July 20, Morris Plains was substituted for North- 
field, and on the 23d of the month, at 10:30 A.M., 
he celebrated Holy Mass at Wilsonville as successor 
to Father Flynn, the collection being $1.53. 

In order to accommodate some who desired a 
more convenient location he borrowed from the 
Morristown Catholics a large tent, which he pitched 
near the new church lot. In that frail and tempo- 
rary shelter, which might be likened to the stable of 
Bethlehem, he offered the Holy Sacrifice for the 
first time on the 6th of August. 

At first, in this humble sanctuary there were no 
pews, but a few boards and chairs ; no floor but the 
bare ground, no carpet but the stubble of new-mown 
wheat ; the altar was a pine table with the bare 
requisites for the Holy Sacrifice and a few fresh 
flowers. The people went to confession in public 
view back of the altar-table, behind a few hemlock 
boards. There was no altar-rail, no communion 
cloth ; and they received with the pall, without sup- 
port, except from their faith. 

On the approach of cold weather, September 24, 



142 The Story of a Parish. 

the hall of the public school was procured and used 
until near the close of the year. 

Meanwhile, on September 28, Right Rev. W. M. 
Wigger granted permission to erect a church at 
Morris Plains at a probable cost of one thousand 
two hundred dollars. He afterwards allowed a debt 
of one thousand five hundred dollars to be incurred. 

On October 15 the corner-stone of an edifice 
thirty feet by forty-five was laid in the presence of 
several hundred persons by Rev. Joseph M. Flynn, 
who also delivered an appropriate sermon on the 
glory and perpetuity of the Catholic Church. 

Before the building was half completed the Holy 
Sacrifice was offered up in it, at 10:30 A.M., on 
Christmas, 1882, exactly one year from the celebra- 
tion of the first Mass at Wilsonville. 

Owing to slender resources it was nearly another 
year before it was completed and dedicated to the 
service of God by Bishop Wigger, December 16, 
1883. Even then it took a few more years to pro- 
vide the necessary and suitable means for the pro- 
per celebration of the various offices of religion. 

On December 13, 1886, through the hberahty of 
Mr. Cornelius Conklin and wife, a large and more 
eligible site was purchased for one thousand five 
hundred dollars with the expectation of some day 
having the church, the school, and the rectory in 
close proximity. In August, 1888, the church was 
moved to the new property, which comprises more 
than two acres at the junction of Mountain Way 



Blessing of a Bell, 143 

and Hanover and Speedwell Avenues, in the very- 
heart of Morris Plains. At the same time the 
Church was enlarged and a belfry and a gallery 
built. Then the grounds were graded, laid out, 
planted with trees and enclosed. Many other im 
provements were also made from time to time, so 
that after a long and hard struggle the Church of 
St. Virgilius is comfortable and respectable, if not 
imposing. 

On the evening of December 20, 1889, a new 
bell, weighing nine hundred and eighty-one pounds, 
was blessed by Bishop Wigger, assisted by Very 
Rev. Joseph M. Flynn, Rev. Maurice P. O'Connor, 
Rev. Joseph H. Hill, Rev. Joseph C. Dunn, and 
the Rev. Rector. The bell, called after the Apostle 
of Ireland, bears the following inscription : 

''St. Patrick, 

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. C. S. Conklin 

To THE Church of St. Virgilius, 

Morris Plains, N. J. 

W. M. Wigger, Bishop. 

James Joseph Brennan, Pastor. 



After the blessing an appropriate sermon on the 
history of bells was delivered by Dean Flynn, who 
also concluded the services by giving the Benedic- 
tion of the most Blessed Sacrament. 

The average receipts of the Church are about 
two thousand dollars a year, and the value of its 
property, excluding debts, is over ten thousand dol- 



144 The Story of a Parish. 

lars ; the number of souls about one hundred and 
fifty. The lay trustees have been Mr. Michael 
Glennon, Mr. John Coleman, and Mr. Thomas Fa- 
hey. Among the benefactors may be named Mr. 
and Mrs. C. S. Conklin, Mrs. Elias S. Higgins, Mrs. 
John P. McHugh, Mr. Charles H. Raymond, Mr. P. 
Malone, Mr. Richard McCurdy, Mr. Andrew Mur- 
phy, Mr. D. M. Merchant, Mr. Charles Marsh, Mr. 
J. W. Roberts, Mrs. Stephen Whitney, Mrs. William 
McGuiness, Miss Sarah Daly, and Mrs. Mary Mc- 
Kee. 

To resume the events which merit attention in 
the Morristown parish, it is but just to direct at- 
tention to its benefactors. 

Kind friends are not wanting to make use of 
their means for the embellishment of the house of 
God. The leaders of the Rosary Society bands 
undertook to place a memorial window to perpetuate 
the life and labors of their late Pastor, Father 
Sheeran. 

Mr. Patrick Farrelly and his wife requested the 
privilege of placing windows in the Lady Chapel in 
memory of their deceased children. From the house 
of Mayer & Co., Munich, came the exquisite speci- 
mens of that decorative art which adorns many 
churches in Europe, but which, up to this time, had 
found no patrons in the United States. The Father 
Sheeran memorial window contains the figures of 
St. James the Apostle and St. Alphonsus Liguori, 



Gothic Art, 145 



and the Lady Chapel, St. Ehzabeth, St. Catharine, 
Martyr, and the Angel Guardian. 

These were the first works of this celebrated es- 
tablishment sent across the Atlantic, and the initia- 
tive of the movement for the imitation and repro- 
duction of Gothic art, which has advanced so 
rapidly, and which has added so much to the busi- 
ness of the Mayers. 

Mrs. Farrelly generously donated the Sanctuary 
lamp, and Miss Ann Hogan the ostensorium, both 
of which were purchased in Lyons, France. 




CHAPTER X. 

^O provision had been made in the Cemetery 
,^^_J^ for the reception of bodies when, in cases of 
emergency, inclement weather, or for other reasons, 
it was desirable to delay burial. Mr. Thomas Allen 
very kindly donated the stone from his Waterloo 
quarry, and the construction of the vault was en- 
trusted to Mr. John D. Collins. It was not com- 
pleted when an epidemic of pneumonia, which car- 
ried off more than a dozen of our parishioners, 
demonstrated its necessity. The weather at the be- 
ginning of 1883, which had been unusually fine, set 
in severely ; the frost penetrated more than two 
feet into the ground, so that to dig a grave holes 
had to be drilled into the frozen crust as into a 
rock, thus causing additional labor and delay. 
Death came so frequently that many were panic- 
stricken. Every little cold was magnified into an 
attack of the dread disease, and the priests were 
in a constant round of sick-calls. In little more 
than a month its force was spent, and confidence 
was restored. 

At the beginning of the Lenten season Father 
Flynn felt that the time had come to use his voice 
and influence against the unlawful sale and exces- 
sive use of intoxicants, especially as he had to deal 

with some cases of a peculiarly distressing charac- 

146 



Temperance Work, 147 

ter, where the innocent had much to suffer in Hfe 
and after death from this besetting sin of the age. 
Before beginning his crusade, the pastor conferred 
with the Bishop of the diocese, who authorized him 
to deal with incorrigible drunkards and with those 
who sold liquor indiscriminately to children and 
inebriates on the lines marked out by Bishop Bay- 
ley five-and-twenty years before. In his opening 
remarks Father Flynn used the most vigorous lan- 
guage at his command ; his manner was earnest, his 
denunciation against those implicated severe. Un- 
fortunately a garbled report of his remarks appear- 
ed in the local newspapers, which were reproduced 
by journals in and outside of the State. 

The public has its moods. These the press 
watch and play upon. An incident which at one 
time would pass unnoticed, at another excites wide- 
spread comment. It springs up with the suddenness 
of a storm, and, with the accretions it sweeps up 
in its flight, assumes a new countenance, so as to 
be hardly recognizable. Thus, Father Flynn found 
himself roundly abused for his intolerance by some 
of the metropolitan journals, and extolled for his 
zeal by others. Bishop Wigger and some of his 
friends in the priesthood kindly defended him, ex- 
plained the true nature of his remarks, and vindi- 
cated him from the charge of intolerance. The 
excitement quieted down, but his voice was not 
raised in vain. The citizens of Morristown were 
aroused, and efforts were made at the Spring elec- 



148 The Story of a Parish. 



tion to place in the Common Council a body of 
men who would deal with the license question 
judiciously and prudently. The Catholics were 
asked to name a candidate on the citizens' ticket, 
which, it was understood, advocated, not prohibi- 
tion but a high and limited license. A ratification 
meeting was held in Lyceum Hall, which was large- 
ly attended by all classes, and especially by the 
business men and freeholders. On the platform 
were seated the pastors of the different denomina- 
tions, and addresses were made by the leaders in 
the movement, by some of the candidates, by the 
Rev. J. M. Buckley, D.D., and Father Flynn. The 
last two speakers insisted that the movement was 
towards temperance, not prohibition ; but the un- 
wise and intolerant language of the others made it 
clear that there would be no compromise with the 
liquor-dealer, and that the policy of the candidates, 
if elected, was to put a stop to it altogether. The 
regular political parties had not up to this time 
nominated a ticket. This was soon changed. An 
opposition ticket was made up, and the election 
carried on with great spirit. With the exception 
of the candidate selected by the Catholics, Mr. 
Morris E. Condon, who came out of the contest 
with a bare majority, the citizens' ticket was de- 
feated. Mr. Condon distinguished himself in the 
Council by his consistency, and won for himself the 
respect of all by his manly stand throughout his 
term of office. 



Church-Debt Scheme, 149 

The question now came up how to manage the 
necessary incubus of a church debt in a way that, 
while it would relieve the Church by enabling the 
Pastor to make, from time to time, as the condi- 
tion of the treasury would permit, partial payments, 
the parishioners, who had to meet this obligation, 
might also be benefited by it. It was shown that 
in ten years over twelve thousand dollars had been 
paid out in interest and discounts, and that all this 
might have passed into the pockets of the congre- 
gation had they, instead of an insurance company, 
held the debt. Father Flynn proposed to issue a 
number of one hundred dollar bonds sufficient to 
cover the mortgage, and secured by a first mort- 
gage to Messrs. H. O. Marsh, President, and D. D. 
Craig, Cashier of the National Iron Bank, as 
trustees for the bondholders. The interest offered 
was five per cent., a sum larger than the savings- 
banks were paying, and the security was equal in 
all respects to any they could give. 

A circular was issued outlining the principal 
features of the scheme, and distributed among the 
parishioners. In less than a week over sixteen 
thousand dollars were taken up, and the debt of 
the Church placed in the hands of those who were 
most deeply interested in it, whose liberality would 
enable the Pastor to pay it off, and who would, 
moreover, be personally benefited by it. The plan 
has worked most satisfactorily; and, while it pre- 
sented obstacles which, elsewhere, might not have 



150 The Story of a Parish. 

made it feasible, with us, through the kindness of 
Messrs. Marsh and Craig, it was made highly prac- 
ticable. 

The Rev. J. F. Duffy, Father von Riel, and 
various Paulist Fathers supplemented the work of 
the Pastor, pending the appointment of a perma- 
nent assistant. 

On Sunday, May 6, 1884, the Rev. Fathers 
Mclnerny and Bohn, Redemptorists, opened a Mis- 
sion, devoting one week to the women and another 
to the men. Their ministry was rich in results. 
One thousand three hundred and six confessions 
were heard, and over sixteen hundred received 
holy Communion. 

An effort was made to induce one of the first 
pastors of the Church, the Right Rev. B. J. 
McQuaid, D.D,, Bishop of Rochester, N. Y., to 
deliver a lecture. 

Some of the Old Guard, who had stood by him 
in the early days of his career, still survived, and, 
with their children, longed to see and hear once 
more the one to whom they owed so much. Bish- 
op McQuaid was forced by the pressure of other 
business to decline the invitation. His answer con- 
tains kernels of great historic interest, and for that 
reason it is reproduced : 

^'Rochester, N. Y., May 14, 1883. 

^-* Rev, Joseph M, Flynn : 

'' Rev. dear Sir : I would with much pleasure 



Bishop Mc Qua id's Reminiscences. 151 

accede to your request to lecture in your Church 
at the time of the Council, but it is certain that no 
time will be available for anything but its own 
work. I have even declined to pay visits to some 
of my friends in New York City who have asked 
me to do so during the Council. 

** My heart always warmed to Morristown until I 
read in a newspaper that, at the dinner given on 
the occasion of the dedication of the new Church, 
the credit of building the old church was given to 
another priest who was present ; and neither he nor 
any one present corrected the false staternent. I 
built the church and paid for it. 

''I cared very little when they stole the credit 
of Seton Hall from me, and what I did for the 
Sisters of Charity in Newark and at Madison ; but 
I frankly confess that I felt hurt at the Morristown 
theft, as that was my baby-work, and therefore my 
pet. It cost something to build a church in those 
days. A dollar was a large contribution and was 
gladly received.^ In 1848 the people of the Irish 
famine times were poor, and had to send every dol- 
lar they could to their starving relatives at home. 

" How kind is Providence, who conceals from us 
the secrets of the future and the ingratitude of 
man, that our zeal and devotion may not be chilled 
by a knowledge of what is in store for us in this 
world ! 

'' Except old Mrs. Rogers, there is scarcely one 
in Morristown to remember its old pastor. 

** Wishing you much success in your good work, 
I remain. Rev. dear sir, 

'' Yours sincerely in Christ, 

''^ B., Bp. of Rochester. 

^ '' P. S. — You can claim that in Morristown you 



152 The Story of a Parish, 

have the second oldest Catholic school in the State 
of New Jersey, uninterruptedly kept up. Madison 
has the first. I established both, in a very humble 
way, it is true ; but they helped to establish the 
principle that Catholic schools were as necessary as 
churches." 

In midsummer Father Flynn ventured upon an 
excursion. Nothing of the kind had heretofore been 
attempted, and while many went to and fro from 
the pleasure resorts contiguous to New York, very 
many of the old folks had not seen the great City 
since they landed a quarter of a century before, 
and some of their children had never been on a 
railroad train. Father Sheppard, pastor of St. 
Mary's, Dover, offered to assist in the enterprise, 
and suggested the union of both parishes in the ex- 
cursion. This was agreed to. And, on Tuesday, 
July 31, 1883, the first excursion of the Catholics of 
Dover and Morristown left the respective cities. 
Every precaution against danger was taken. At 
Hoboken a steamer and a barge awaited the party, 
which was taken down the New York and Raritan 
Bays, out to the Ocean, past Coney Island and up 
the East River, to enable those aboard to see the 
Brooklyn Bridge and the Navy-Yard. It was curi- 
ous and amusing to witness the interest of the old 
and young, some searching out old landmarks, others 
gazing with eyes full of wonder at the sights re- 
vealed to them. Except the passing unpleasantness 
of a httle seasickness, experienced opposite Coney 



The Catholic Benevolent Legion, 153 

Island, the day was most pleasantly spent, and all 
reached home in safety, delighted with their first 
excursion. 

The Catholic Benevolent Legion was this year 
organized in Brooklyn by a number of Catholic gen. 
tiemen to provide for their co-religionists a means 
of life insurance which had been inaugurated by 
those not of our faith, and which, by reason of 
oaths of secrecy and a ritual, contained an element 
of danger. It met with the approval of Bishop 
Loughlin, who consented to act as its Spiritual Di- 
rector. Mr. Paul V. Flynn was invited to come 
and explain the nature and scope of the organization 
to the male members of our parish. The meeting 
was held in the school, thirty-eight names were en- 
tered as charter members, and the Council called 
St. Columbanus. This was the fortieth council or- 
ganized since the inception of the movement, and 
one of the earliest in New Jersey. 

Its excellent features were manifested when at 
the death of the youngest charter member, Mr. 
William Foley, the amount of his policy was paid 
without delay to his sorrowing family. 

Monsignor Capel, an eminent English Catholic 
prelate, visited the country on a lecture tour, and in 
the month of October came to Morristown. The 
lecture was given in the Church of the Assumption, 
and the prestige and prominence of the right rever- 



154 The Story of a Parish, 

end lecturer drew large numbers of Protestants to 
hear him. After the lecture he held a reception in 
the parlors of Mrs. Revere, when almost all the 
clergymen and the leading families of the city were 
presented to him. 

New settees, from the establishment of R. Geiss- 
ler, the gift of Mr. Patrick Farrelly, were now 
added to the Sanctuary. The legacy of Mrs. Ann 
Murphy paid for the new pulpit. This gem of the 
wood-carver's skill is from the atelier of Lamb & 
Co., New York. 

The accommodations in the school were insuffi- 
cient. There was no hall for entertainments or fairs 
but the school, and to prepare it for this purpose 
the partitions had to be taken down and the furni- 
ture removed. This sadly interfered with discipline, 
and entailed loss of time and great damage to the 
furniture. To obviate this inconvenience, and to 
meet exigencies and give increased room to the lit- 
tle ones, permission was obtained to erect a pavilion 
in the rear of the school at a moderate cost. This 
was finished in the month of October at an outlay 
of thirteen hundred and fifty dollars. It was pro- 
vided with a stage, and lighted from the centre with 
a large Frink reflector. In the school the partitions 
were extended to the ceiling, and the noise of each 
class-room was confined to its own limits, to the 
great satisfaction of teachers and pupils. An ama- 
teur dramatic organization, through Mr. Paul Revere, 
presented scenery, which was added to by the ar- 



Midnight Mass. 155 

tist Mr. Thompson ; and the stage, thus equipped, 
gave scope to the talented to display for their 
friends their histrionic proficiency. 

At the close of the year the Right Rev. Bishop 
Wigger made his ofificial visitation of the parish. 




CHAPTER XL 

^N April 20, 1884, the Redemptorist Fathers 
returned to Morristown for the renewal of 
the Mission. The spiritual exercises were well at- 
tended, the success of the previous year was re- 
peated, and the congregation strengthened by many 
graces. 

The little organ placed in the choir at the time 
of the dedication of the Church did not meet the 
requirements ; and, as an opportunity presented 
itself to secure a suitable instrument at a very low 
cost, the Pastor sought advice from the Bishop. 
After mature consideration permission was obtained 
to purchase it. This organ was originally built by 
E. & G. G. Hook, of Boston, for a Protestant 
Church in Providence, R. I. 

It has two manuals, and the compass is from 
CC to F3, 54 notes, and the pedals from CCC to 
GG, 20 notes. The great organ contains thirteen 
stops, viz. : open diapason, dulciana, stopped diapa- 
son, stopped bass, principal, flute, twelfth, fifteenth, 
tierce, sesquialtera, clarionet, trumpet treble, trum- 
pet bass ; and the swell organ has twenty-five stops, 
bourdon treble, bourdon bass, open diapason, viol di 
gamba, stopped diapason, stopped bass, principal 
treble, principal bass, night horn, nazard, flageolet, 
and oboe. It is of unusually sweet tone ; its mel- 
lowness, no doubt, is due to the seasoning of the 

156 




Rev. Eugene A. Farhell 



Sister M, Gaudentia. 157 

wood. It was purchased from Hilborne L. Roose- 
velt, and cost, including its decoration, fifteen hun- 
dred dollars. A grand concert, including vocal and 
instrumental music, under the direction of eminent 
organists, revealed the beauties of the new instru- 
ment, whose tones filled the Church and thrilled 
the audience with admiration. 

In the month of April, Bishop Wigger appointed 
an efficient assistant priest, the Rev. Eugene A. 
Farrell. 

Sister M. Gaudentia, who had labored with so 
much fruit with the children, the Young Ladies' 
Sodality, and among the poor, was forced by con- 
tinued ill-health to withdraw to the Villa at Con- 
vent Station. A cold, contracted during the Forty 
Hours' Devotion, while engaged in her labor of love 
around the altar, was neglected, and it developed 
into consumption. She bore her sufferings with that 
cheerful resignation which never failed her as 
novice or Sister, in class or community room. At 
all times she was radiant with peace, patient under 
trials, ever ready to deny herself if she could serve 
others. Her charity, like her zeal, had no limit ; 
and when it was question of the poor, there was no 
care, however menial or loathsome, she would not 
gladly undertake. Her heart glowed with sympathy 
for the poor children ; and she was always ready 
to shield and excuse the idle, mischievous, or truant 
pupil. The best test of the influence of her beauti- 



158 The Story of a Parish, 

ful life is the reverence with which her memory is 
still cherished by all who knew her, and, more than 
all, by those who were the object of her kindness 
in school. She passed to her reward, consoled by 
the Sacraments of Holy Church, June 11, 1884. 

Catholics never fail to greet warmly the young 
priest ; they crowd the Church to hear his first 
Mass, the Sanctuary to receive his blessing. 

It was our good fortune at this time to receive 
the Rev. John J. Hughes, of the Congregation of 
St. Paul, the Apostle, best known as Paulist Fathers, 
who, lately ordained, came to Morristown to visit 
his relatives. On Sunday he celebrated Holy Mass, 
and gave his blessing after Mass, and after the 
Vesper services, to all those who flocked to re- 
ceive it. 

The Catholic Church has ever inculcated in her 
children a tender devotion to the departed souls. 
They are the object of her constant solicitude. As 
there is no moment when upon her altars the Spot- 
less Victim of Calvary is not raised to stay the 
wrath of God, and to render to Him a worthy action 
of praise and thanksgiving ; so, there is no moment 
when the supplications of priests and people, hal- 
lowed by the merits of the Precious Blood, do not 
rise like a sweet incense in the sight of God, to 
appease His justice and solicit His mercy for 
" those who have died in the Lord.'* The beauti- 
ful custom, which sprang up in the Ages of Faith, 



A New Venture. 159 

and which prevails in Cathohc countries, of toHing 
the bell at sundown to admonish and summon 
Christians to pray for their dead, was introduced 
here November 2. 

The vigilance of a priest is not confined to the 
present wants of his parish. In this country, where 
the growth of communities is so rapid and villages 
develop quickly into large cities, he must look to 
the future and secure the site which may one day 
be needed for a new congregation. A mere glance 
at the localities in which our parishioners were 
grouped, one-half at the eastern, the other at the 
western limit of the City, a moment's thought of 
the strides towards material progress and local ex- 
pansion Morristown was making, would carry con- 
viction of the wisdom of a little foresight for the 
welfare of religion. Many of the domestics, many 
of the aged, found it nigh to impossible to attend 
church if the weather were inclement. For vears 
the Condit property, a fine mansion with a realty of 
almost ten acres, situated at the junction of Sussex 
and Speedwell Avenues, went begging for a pur- 
chaser, and was a constant temptation to Father 
Flynn. The sight was eligible. And, although 
property in that locality was stagnant, it was not 
because of its unhealthfulness, but of the desire of 
the holders to induce the wealthy to erect villas, 
and thus secure good prices for the land. The in- 
dustrial class did not dare aspire to a residence in 



i6o The Story of a Parish, 

that section ; and the few who had houses there 
were httle more than tolerated. Whenever duty 
called him to the neighborhood the Pastor looked 
lovingly on the big board with its '' For Sale " 
glaring at him ; and a voice whispered to him, 
*' Buy it for a future church.'* More than once he 
drove away the phantom ; but it again returned. 
Finally, he invited the Bishop to visit it with him. 
The day fixed for the inspection was gloomy enough 
with rain and fog to make a Cockney happy ; and 
together in a close carriage the Bishop and Pastor 
drove around the premises, and considered the pre- 
sent needs and the future prospects of the faithful 
in that portion of the City. On returning to the Rec- 
tory the Bishop said : " When I came here this 
morning it was with the resolve not to allow you 
to purchase this property ; but after all I have seen 
I now give you full permission to buy it." Nego- 
tiations to this end were entered into. The price 
asked was twenty-five thousand dollars. 

A change in the dominant political party, which 
for twenty-five years had ruled the country, was 
effected by the presidential elections. The result 
was looked forward to with some anxiety by busi- 
ness men ; for, it was possible to enact legislation 
which would hinder prosperity, and precipitate, per- 
haps, a panic. His Bishop was in Baltimore in at- 
tendance upon the Third Plenary Council, and thus 
the Pastor was deprived of his valuable counsel. 
He determined to wait. When Bishop Wigger 



Congregational Singing. i6i 

returned and heard of Father Flynn's decision he 
approved of it, for, during his absence, he shared the 
Pastor's fears, and was not a h'ttle anxious with re- 
gard to the financial success of the enterprise. 

In the Winter months of 1885 a series of lec- 
tures were given to the members and friends of the 
Young Men's Catholic Association by Fathers M. 
A. McManus and Flynn. There was no admission 
fee, and the exercises were varied by recitations and 
music. They afforded amusement, and were a 
source of intellectual improvement to all. 

The Bishops of the Third Plenary Council, to 
secure for all the faithful the nourishment their 
souls need and the Word of God supplies, made it 
obligatory on all pastors to explain the Gospel for 
at least five minutes at every Mass on Sundays and 
solemn feasts. In compliance with their wise enact- 
ment a five-minute sermon was written by either 
the Pastor or assistant and read at the low Masses. 

Circumstances heretofore hindered the faithful 
from taking the active part in its ritual that the 
Church desires, and which it has insisted upon from 
time immemorial. The sacred service of song has 
always been a potent force in the Church, and her 
Pontiffs and Doctors in all ages have enshrined the 
dogmas of faith in poetry and music, which the 
people sang unto edification and instruction. It is 
not easy to impress a congregation with its ability 
to enter into song worship. There is timidity, a 



1 62 The Story of a Parish, 

mutual shyness, and a distrust of vocal powers to 
overcome. But with patience and encouragement 
these obstacles may be dissipated, and assured suc- 
cess awaits both pastor and people. The better to 
secure this result, Father Flynn published a booklet, 
with the consent of his Bishop, Lent^ ajid how to 
spend it, in which were embodied hymns to be sung 
at Benediction, and during the devotions popularly 
known as the Stations of the Cross. The congre- 
gation at almost the first attempt succeeded beyond 
expectation. All entered into the singing with 
heartiness and zest, and the crowds which thronged 
the services during the holy season attested the 
value of this feature, not indeed new but hitherto 
disregarded. 

A parish is the Lord's vineyard, and the fruits 
thereof are the sturdy Christians who, in the ranks of 
the laity, daily fight the battles which will one day 
win for them the victor's crown. 

But that is a sterile field which yields only com- 
batants, which sends not leaders for the hosts of 
God, or virgins to his cloisters to storm heaven by 
prayer and purity of life while the conflict rages. 

Mr. Eugene P. Carroll, born in Morristown, edu- 
cated in the parish school, at St. Benedict's College, 
Newark, N. J., St. Charles's College, Md., and at 
Seton Hall, had pursued successfully his studies, and 
he was deemed by his superiors worthy of the high 







Rev. Eugene P. Carroll. 



A Child of the Parish, 163 



office of the priesthood. As the diocese was in 
great want of priests, Bishop Wigger was compelled 
by the absence of some of his priests, by the sick- 
ness of others, to hasten the ordination. On Sun- 
day, March 8, through the kindness of the Delaware, 
Lackawanna, and Western Railroad Company, a 
party of his friends, many of them old schoolmates, 
chartered a train to enable them to witness Mr. 
Carroll's ordination in the Seminary Chapel, South 
Orange. The touching ceremony in this exquisite 
gem of Gothic architecture was witnessed by all 
with deep emotion. Although not the first child of 
the parish to be raised to this great dignity, Father 
Carroll was the first to be ordained for the Diocese 
of Newark.^ 

A substantial testimony of the affection and 
good-will of his friends was presented to the young 
priest, when the ceremonies were ended, in the shape 
of a gold watch. Father Carroll celebrated High 
Mass, assisted by Fathers Flynn and Farrell as 
deacon and sub-deacon, in our Church, Sunday, 
March 15. Father Flynn preached a sermon on the 
" Dignity of the Priesthood," and, after the Mass, 
Father Carroll gave his blessing to the congregation, 
which tested severely the capacity of the Church. 

Again the attention of Bishop and Pastor was 
directed to the Condit property. Mr. Cleveland had 

*The Very Rev. J. J. McDonald, Dean and Rector of St. Patrick's, 
Utica, N. Y., in the Diocese of Syracuse, was born in Morristown, but with 
his family left here at an early age. 



164 The Story of a Parish. 

been inaugurated President. The change in admin- 
istration had come and passed, the gruesome antici- 
pation of calamity vanished, the prosperity of the 
nation flowed uninterruptedly. Once more negotia- 
tions were opened ; the insurance company who 
owned the property adhered to their price ; and, 
with the Bishop's consent, this desirable piece of 
land and tenement became the property of the 
Catholics. No little excitement was stirred up on 
all sides when the news spread. Some of our own 
flock sharply criticised the priest for adding to the 
burden of the Church, although when he announced 
the purchase at all the Masses he laid special stress 
on the fact that Bishop Wigger, and not the Church 
of the Assumption, held the title of the property, 
and was answerable for the success or failure. In 
either event this parish was not to be benefited or 
mulcted a penny's worth. Others saw their plans 
shattered, and their dreams fade away from their 
fancy. The authority to secure the Condit property 
came in the following : 

" Seton Hall College, 
''South Orange, March 5, 1885. 
'' Dear Father Flynn : 

'' I hereby consent that you purchase the property 
on Speedwell Avenue for twenty thousand dollars, 
or as little above that sum as possible, for the pur- 
pose of eventually building a church on the same. 
*' Yours very sincerely, 

►J< " W. M. Wigger, 
''Bishop of Newark:' 



^ ^r^.''' f^'\ ^^'' ^W^^'' % 




A Grateful Recognition, 165 

When the transaction was ended, and the title 

passed, Bishop Wigger warmly congratulated Father 

Flynn : 

'' Seton Hall College, 

'' South Orange, March 10, 1885. 

" Dear Father Flynn : 

" I congratulate you on the purchase, although 
it did cost the full twenty-five thousand. I hereby 
give you permission to begin at once to alter the 
stable into a chapel for the people. Of course you 
will pass a resolution to that effect at a meeting of 
Trustees. I must try and come up there next week 
to see the big house. 

^* With best wishes I remain, 

'' Very sincerely, 

i ^^W. M. Wigger, 
''Bishop of Newark y 

The assistance rendered to the Pastor by Messrs. 
H. O. Marsh and D. D. Craig merits more than a 
passing mention. When these gentlemen met Father 
Flynn, they asked him to outline his plans for dis- 
posing of the property and paying for it. Without 
solicitation they offered to discount his note for 
fifteen thousand dollars, that he might pay the in- 
surance company that amount and thus secure a 
title, without encumbrance, on the bulk of the pro- 
perty, which he proposed disposing of in building lots, 
and for the balance of the ten thousand the com- 
pany should be satisfied with a mortgage on the 
substantial house and land. This offer met the ap- 
proval of all concerned. Mr. Howell surveyed the 



i66 The Story of a Parish. 

land, laid it off in lots, and printed a number of 
maps for those who contemplated purchasing. A 
meeting of the congregation was called to order in 
the pavilion. The object, it was stated, was to dis- 
pose of the lots to Catholics, if possible, and, after 
a reasonable time, to all comers. Father Flynn 
acted as auctioneer, and most of the best lots were 
quickly disposed of at good prices. The Water 
Company laid their pipes through the streets, and 
thus the location became more desirable for resi- 
dences. 

The streets were named Columba, in honor of 
the great Saint of lona ; Grant, in honor of the 
great General of the Civil War, who was then in 
his death agony, and Bellevue Terrace, from the 
charming prospect visible from the elevation. 

The lot looking north, directly in front of Co- 
lumba Street, was reserved for the erection of a 
chapel. In the beginning of April the requisite 
permission was obtained : 

" Seton Hall College, 
*' South Orange, April 7, 1885. 
'' Dear Father Flynn : 

'' I hereby authorize you to erect, when you con- 
sider it proper to do so, a little chapel on the new 
property, to cost about one thousand dollars. 
*^ With best wishes, I remain, 

"Yours very sincerely, 

^ " W. M. WiGGER, 
'' Bishop of Newark^ 



St, Margaret' s Chapel, 167 

Louis Hazeltine prepared the plans, and the con- 
tract for grading the street was given to Thomas 
Holton ; for the carpenter and mason work, to 
Eakely 8: McEntee ; for painting and decorating, 
to WilHam T. Coghlan. No delay was made in the 
construction of the modest building which was to 
rear aloft the cross and be a new sanctuary of the 
Most High. The great devotion of the Celtic race 
to St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland, as witnessed 
by their family names — for after Mary there is 
scarcely another more frequently bestowed upon 
their daughters than Margaret — her sweet and beau- 
tiful life, so much in its details like that of St. 
Elizabeth of Hungary and in some respects more 
attractive, prompted the Pastor to honor, even in 
an humble way, this great Saint, recognized thus 
for the first time in the United States. At the 
close of the month of May everything was in readi- 
ness for the laying of the corner-stone. It was de- 
termined to invest it with all the pomp and cere- 
mony possible. The members of the parish entered 
heartily into the Pastor's plan, and the ceremony 
was so grand and impressive that few who witness- 
ed it will ever forget it. The following accurate 
report was written by an eye-witness : 

*^ Sunday, May 31, 1885, was a memorable day 
for the Catholics of Morristown. Surrounded by 
members of the local and visiting clergy, in the 
presence of a large number of the laity, the Right 
Rev. Winand M. Wigger, Bishop of the Diocese 



1 68 The Story of a Parish. 

of Newark, laid the corner-stone of the chapel to 
be erected to the honor of God and St. Margaret, 
with all the pomp and splendor of ritual with 
which the Roman Catholic Church invests such an 
important ceremony. But, apart from the interest 
that such an event naturally arouses, the occasion 
was one of deep significance. It illustrated and em- 
phasized not only the grovv^th of our city, but it 
was likewise indicative of the rapidly increasing 
strength of the Catholic Church in our midst. 
There are some of the members of the Church of 
the Assumption who can recall the time, not so 
very long ago, when the nearest Catholic Church 
was at Madison, then known as Bottle Hill. Hence 
it was determined to give the ceremony an expres- 
sion of the significance it justly claimed, to mark it 
as an era in the history of the Catholic Church 
in Morristown. And so, despite the threatening 
weather, the mother Church gathered together her 
numerous societies, and, preceded by the cross- 
bearer and the acolytes with waving banners, fol- 
lowed by the clergy in their sanctuary dress and 
the Bishop in his purple vesture, they marched, 
over a thousand in number, through the town to 
Sussex Avenue, where the new chapel is to be 
erected. A peculiar feature of this procession was 
the corner-stone, adorned with flowers and carried 
by four of the oldest members of the congregation, 
preceded by six little girls in white, all representing 
the tribute of three generations to this happy event. 
Arrived at the grounds, the Bishop, vested in cope 
and mitre, and bearing his crozier, solemnly blessed 
and laid the corner-stone, in which was placed an 
iron box containing, besides various coins and 
copies of the Jerseyman^ the Banner^ and the Chroni- 



A Memorable Occasion. 169 

cle, a parchment describing the event in Latin, and 
of which the following is a translation : 

^^^D. O. M. 

"*0n the 31st day of May, in the year of our 
Redemption 1885 — Pope Leo XIIL happily reign- 
ing, Right Rev. Winand M. Wigger being the 
Bishop of Newark, and Rev. Joseph M. Flynn, Rec- 
tor, with Rev. Eugene A. Farrell, his assistant, of 
the Church of the Assumption ; Grover Cleveland 
being President of these United States ; Leon Ab- 
bett Governor of the State of New Jersey ; and 
John Taylor Mayor of Morristown — Right Rev. 
Winand M. Wigger, D.D., in the presence of the 
clergy and before a large concourse of people, laid 
the corner-stone of this Chapel to be erected to the 
honor of God under the invocation of St. Margaret.' 

'' After the ceremony the Right Rev. Bishop 
made a short address to the people, congratulating 
them on the progress of the Church in Morristown, 
and in particular commending the zeal they uni- 
formly manifest in the furtherance of every good 
and praiseworthy work in the interests of morality 
and religion. He concluded with the hope that the 
day would not be distant when they and their 
labors would be so blessed that the humble begin- 
ning of to-day would ripen into a new, a large, and 
a flourishing parish." 

Huge masses of black clouds rolled up from the 
southwest ; the wind was momentarily increasing n 
violence, and great drops of rain admonished all to 
seek shelter from the impending storm. Banners 
were taken from their poles and put away ; white 
veils were hurriedly exchanged, and soon all were 



170 The Story of a Parish. 

in shelter from the tempest, which disappeared al- 
most as quickly as it sprang up. 

The patriarchs who carried the corner-stone from 
the mother Church were Thomas F. Burke, Thomas 
Degan, Martin Murphy, and John McGuire, and 
they were accompanied as a guard of honor by the 
little Misses Genevieve Welsh, Lulu Clifford, Rose 
Corcoran, Agnes Lucas, Marguerite Kenny, and Mar- 
guerite Martin. The Rev. William D. Hughes, Paulist, 
a guest at the Rectory, took part in the ceremony. 

The corner-stone laid, an effort was made to 
raise the money to pay for the Chapel as the work 
went on, so that, if possible, by the time of dedica- 
tion it should be absolutely free from debt. To 
this end a bazaar was held, and in three days one 
thousand and eighty-nine dollars and five cents 
were realized. All worked with a will, and the 
parishioners showed their enthusiasm by their at- 
tendance in large numbers and generous liberality. 

While advancing the material interests of the 
parish the schools were not neglected. Sister Mari- 
ana succeeded Sister Gaudentia as Sister-servant, 
and, together with Sister Adele, infused an excel- 
lent spirit into the children. Regular attendance, 
close application, active rivalry among the classes 
distinguished the children, especially in the higher 
grades. The examinations for graduation and pro- 
motion were held in public, and were attended by 
the parents and friends of the pupils. The un- 



^ 









I. St. Margaret's Church, July 12, 1885. 

3. On the road to its new Site, 



2. Interior. 



Generosity Recognized, 171 

wearying patience of Professor Hurley afforded the 
congregation a pleasant surprise at the closing 
exercises of the school by the rendition of the 
operetta ^' The Pirates of Penzance," the entire part 
score sung solely by the children. 

The unpleasant memories which cling to the 12th 
of July were varied this year by the dedication of 
St. Margaret's Chapel. : 

Generous friends again came forward to signalize 
their faith and devotion, and to enrich the Church 
by the wealth with which God had blessed them. 

Mr. Patrick Farrelly donated the bell, furnished 
by McShane & Co., and weighing four hundred 
pounds ; Miss Ella Carroll presented the Stations of 
the Cross ; Mrs. Maggie Howard, the Sanctuary 
lamp, statues of St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother, 
and the holy-water stoup ; and other ladies, the car- 
pet. At eleven o'clock Sunday, July 12, the cere- 
mony of blessing the Chapel, performed by Right 
Rev. Bishop Wigger, was witnessed by a congrega- 
tion numbering over two hundred which filled and 
overflowed the little edifice. The high Mass, which 
followed, was sung by the Rev. Eugene P. Carroll, 
and the sermon was preached by the Rev. Michael 
P. Smith, the eloquent Paulist. Fathers McCartie, 
the Chancellor of the Diocese, and Flynn were pre- 
sent in the Sanctuary. 

In the afternoon the Bishop administered Con- 
firmation, and blessed the bell for St. Margaret's. 
This congregation has never been lacking in 



1/2 The Story of a Parish. 

generosity, whether for its own or diocesan pur- 
poses. This year the offering of Peter's Pence was 
so large, and so much in excess of what other 
churches in the Diocese had contributed, as to merit 
special encomiums from the Bishop. The following 
letter was received and read by the Pastor : 

'' Seton Hall College, 
'-'South Orange, August i8, 1885. 
''Dear Father Flynn: 

" Your favor enclosing check for two hundred 
and twenty-eight dollars, Peter's Pence, has been 
received and is acknowledged with thanks. 

" The Bishop desires me to convey to you and 
to the generous Catholic people of Morristown his 
grateful appreciation of the very liberal offering. It 
is the largest contribution hitherto received this 
year for the Holy Father from any Church of this 
Diocese, with the sole exception of the Cathedral 
collection, which exceeds yours only by the small 
amount of two dollars. 

" With respectful regards, 

" I remain faithfully yours, 

"D. McCartie.'' 

During vacation the Sisters' house was altered, 
improved, and enlarged to afford better accommo- 
dations to these devoted teachers. 

When they returned, in September, the old house 
had been so changed that they hardly recognized it, 
and the inconveniences which they had borne so 
long without complaint or murmur had altogether 
disappeared. 




CHAPTER XII. 

;WING to a serious throat affection, Father 
^^^ Flynn was ordered by his physician to go 
South to escape the rigors of the winter. But the 
unusual severity of frost and cold which desolated 
this refuge of the afflicted in search of balmy air 
and sunshine, and transformed the land of flowers 
and orange-blossoms into a veritable Arctic region, 
did not prove the desirable exchange he contem- 
plated, so the Pastor hastened from this unfriendly 
climate to the more promising and favored resorts 
of California. He returned home in March very 
little benefited by his trip, and on Sunday evening, 
March 14, entertained the parishioners with an in- 
formal talk on what he had seen during his absence. 

On his return Father Flynn was met at the de- 
pot by the Young Men's Catholic Association, and 
to the music of the band, amidst lighted torches, was 
escorted to the rectory, where he was serenaded. 

It pleased the Bishop at this time to testify the 
good esteem in which he held the parish by raising 
its Pastor, on March 17, to the dignity of Dean of 
Morris and Sussex Counties. 

For a long time it was apparent that the old 
Church, transformed into a school, had outgrown its 
usefulness. Various schemes of altering and enlarg- 
ing were entertained, but it was wisely concluded to 
wait, as the contemplated improvements would ne- 

173 



174 The Story of a Parish. 

cessitate an outlay which the inadaptability of the 
building would not warrant, and which if made 
would be, at best, only a makeshift. Now, however, 
the time had come when inaction was no longer 
wise. The health of the little ones was imperilled. 
In the Spring session they crowded the pavilion, and 
added to the cares of their new teacher. Miss Mary 
Mulhall. March 29 the Pastor announced his inten- 
tion of erecting a new school in the old Cemetery, 
and requested their friends to remove from it the 
ashes of the dead. 

Once more the old, old cry of distress in Ire- 
land reached the ears and touched the sympathetic 
hearts of Americans. Coupled with the want which 
prevailed, especially among the Galway fishermen, 
was the noble effort made by the Nationalists for 
some measure of freedom and independence. To 
the United States both the victims of hard penury 
and the patriots looked for aid. The members^ of 
the congregation took the matter in hand. The 
Dramatic Club of the Young Men's Catholic Asso- 
ciation prepared the Irish play ^' Eileen Oge," and 
on April 26 presented it most creditably to the 
largest audience the Lyceum ever held. The net 
proceeds were very near one thousand dollars, which 
were divided equally between both funds. 

Bishop Carr,. of Galway, acknowledged in a very 
graceful letter the generous offering sent to him. 

The ambition to embellish the Church was still 



A Jubilee Procession. 175 



alive and active. Miss Bessie Carroll, who on dif- 
ferent occasions had presented the holy-water stoups 
at the porch and the adoring Angels on the Altar, 
presented a silver ciborium. 

The Paulist Fathers, M. P. Smith and A. P. 
Doyle, were invited to conduct the spiritual exer- 
cises of the Jubilee retreat. The sermons and instruc- 
tions drew large numbers during the week it con- 
tinued, and over eight hundred approached the Sac- 
raments. Now came a splendid manifestation of the 
faith of our people. It was determined that the 
visit to the other Church, a condition required by 
the Holy Father, should be made by the entire 
congregation processionally. The different societies 
assembled in the Church at half-past three in the 
afternoon of Sunday, June 22. Mr. Cornelius Holly 
acted as marshal, and headed the procession, which 
was led by the cross-bearer and acolytes. The school 
children under the Sisters' charge followed, then the 
women's and men's societies, and behind them those 
of the parish not enrolled in any society, and finally 
the priests of the parish and the missionaries in cas- 
sock and surplice. The joyous ringing of the Church 
bell signalled the procession to start, and through 
the town streamed like a vari-colored ribbon the 
children, the young, the old — the girls in white, the 
boys wearing sashes across their breasts, and all the 
societies bearing aloft their banners. 

Mute and reverential respect was shown to this 
bold and public manifestation of faith. 



176 The Story of a Parish. 

Arrived at the Chapel, on the porch of which an 
altar had been prepared, the faithful ranged them- 
selves in front and on the sides. The Most Blessed 
Sacrament was exposed amid a dazzling array of 
lights and fragrant flowers. The Litany of the 
Saints was recited in English, the hymns O Salutaris 
and Tantuin Ergo sung, and, at the close, the Papal 
benediction imparted to the kneeling multitude. 
The impressive ceremony, the kneeling crowd hushed 
in deepest reverence, the glowing radiance of the 
setting sun, the smoke of incense, and melody of 
hymn framed a picture rarely to be seen and never 
to be forgotten. 

It formed the topic of conversation among our 
fellow-citizens and furnished a text to the pulpits of 
the different churches. It was commented upon fa- 
vorably by almost all, and the example was pointed 
out as commendable and worthy of imitation. 

A start was given June 29, by Mr. Patrick Welsh, 
to the new school project by the generous gift of 
one hundred dollars. From this grew the subscrip- 
tions, large and small, which aided so practically 
the desires of the Pastor. On October 25 the fence 
dividing the Cemetery from the street was torn 
down ; the laborers set to work to excavate for the 
foundations of the new school. The bodies were 
carefully and reverently moved to the Cemetery by 
friends, if any remained ; otherwise, under the per- 
sonal supervision of the Pastor. 




(30 
00 



< 

Q 
O 

o 

u 
m 

w 




New School Contracts. 177 

To Augustus Eichorn, of Orange, was entrusted 
the task of embodying the views of the Pastor and 
preparing the plans and specifications. The Allen 
Brothers received the contract to furnish the granite 
from their Waterloo quarries for the foundation and 
trimming ; the responsibility of erecting it was en- 
trusted to the rising firm of old school-boys, Mal- 
ley, Dempsey & Cooney, and the carpenter work to 
Lonergan & Brown. It was determined to push the 
work that the corner-stone might be laid on Thanks- 
giving Day, and the foundations so advanced that 
they might be covered in before the rigors of Winter 
set in. No one was regarded as more fit to preach 
at the forthcoming ceremony than the first pastor, 
now Bishop McQuaid. To the invitation he prompt- 
ly and willingly acceded : 

''Rochester, N. Y., November 6, 1886. 
'' Dear Father Flynn : 

'' Do not trouble yourself about me. I will 
find my way to Morristown without difficulty, as 
I ought to know the road. I shall be with you 
Wednesday evening, and will accept with pleasure 
the hospitality of your house. 

'' I have told my secretary to get ready and send 
you a large photograph of me as Bishop (I would 
send one as Father McQuaid if I had it), hand- 
somely framed, for your bazaar, which you will 
please accept. 

'' It is probable that I shall go to New York on 
the preceding Monday. 

''Yours sincerely in Christ, 

^ " B., Bp. of Rochester.'* 



178 The Story of a Parish. 

The chronology of events makes it necessary to 
notice a remarkable cure which, through prayer, 
was effected in a young woman of the parish. At 
the time it excited wide-spread attention, and it now 
deserves a complete and succinct recital. Miss Jen- 
nie Smith, living some miles from the Ghurch, near 
New Vernon, was at once the object of God's chas- 
tening hand and his caresses. As none realized 
more than herself the keen intensity of her suffer- 
ings, none can describe them better or tell more 
vividly the joy she experienced in this sudden and 
providential restoration of health : 

*^ Early in the Summer of 1880 the pain and 
weakness of which I had been complaining for some 
time began to grow serious, and I was placed under 
treatment. Our family physician, Dr. Van Wagner, 
of Madison, pronounced it a case of general weak- 
ness and dyspepsia ; the pain through my back was 
caused by 'kidney trouble.' I improved and soon 
gave up taking medicine. In the Spring of eighty- 
one I began to fail again. Our family doctor hav- 
ing died the previous winter, I was taken to Dr. 
Lewis, of Morristown. His opinion was that I had 
' stomach trouble ' and needed ' tonics.' In July I 
was taken with violent pains all through my body 
and limbs, but particularly through my back and 
left side. Having sold his practice in this place, Dr. 
Lewis could not come here, but recommended his 
successor. Dr. Pennington, of Basking Ridge. He 
said I had spinal trouble and rheumatism round the 
heart. After three weeks had passed I was able to 
go around once more, but my body and limbs con- 



Jennie Smith's Iliness. 179 

tinued to swell and I suffered a great deal of pain. 
During the Winter I grew real well apparently, but 
Spring found me losing strength once more. Dr. 
Flagler, of Morristown, was then consulted. After 
making a most painful examination, he said 1 had 
' stomach trouble, slight kidney trouble, and needed 
tonics.' He ordered me to take plenty of outdoor 
exercise, riding and driving particularly, I followed 
his advice as closely as possible, but each time I 
went for a drive I suffered terrible pain in my 
back. I kept on with him till Winter, finding my- 
self worse instead of better. I tried Dr. Uebelack- 
er, of Morristown. He said the medicine I had 
been taking was entirely too strong for me, and that 
I must not ride or drive, as the jarring only in- 
creased my suffering. He said I was suffering from 
liver and stomach trouble, and that was what caused 
such distress through my back. In some ways his 
medicine gave me great relief, but the pains kept in- 
creasing until the second of February, when I was 
prostrated. Dr. Uebelacker was very ill just at this 
time, and Dr. Voorhis, of Basking Ridge, was called 
in. When he came I was unable to rise from my 
bed without assistance, and after an examination he 
said I had spinal meningitis with other trouble. Al- 
though always complaining of my back, and never 
while under treatment being able to walk across the 
room to my bed if my clothing was unloosed, only 
one of the doctors ever said I had spinal trouble. 
I suffered great pain and sat up only a few times 
during the first few weeks of my sickness. The ef- 
fort caused me such distress and seemed to do me 
no good, so the doctor forbade me rising * for a little 
while.* Gradually my limbs lost strength, and the 
pain, that never ceased altogether, was agonizing at 
times. My flesh was so sore that I could scarcely 



i8o The Story of a Parish. 

be touched, and when my bed was made I had to 
be Hfted on the sheet, and the pains caused by mov- 
ing cannot be described. On March 17 I was 
placed on an invahd's chair which had been padded 
and prepared in such a way that it was perfectly 
smooth, straight, and solid. On this couch, without 
even a pillow, I suffered for three years, nine months, 
and twenty days, and no one, not even my faithful 
sister, who nursed me through it all, ever knew of 
the bitter agony I suffered there every day, every 
hour. No one knew but our Divine Lord, and He 
gave me strength to bear it all. During the early 
part of my sickness I was troubled with faintness, 
unusually severe pain, and great difificulty in breath- 
ing. While suffering from an attack of this kind, on 
Good Friday night, I was prepared for death by 
our pastor, Father Flynn. I rallied, however, and 
never during the three years that followed was I 
troubled with another attack of that kind. Dr. 
O'Gorman, of Newark, was sent for to hold a con- 
sultation with Dr. Voorhis. He said I might live 
that way for fifteen years, but did not say that I 
would ever be well. I did not change much from 
this time until January of eighty-five, when I was 
suddenly stricken with paralysis of the nerves of 
the head and brain. My arms and limbs were 
drawn up, and, when conscious again, I was unable 
to speak for some time and even then only a word 
at a time. For three months I could not use my 
eyes, for raising or lowering them would immedi- 
ately bring on another attack, usually followed by 
vomiting, the effect of the sympathetic action of 
the nerves. After applying blisters and many other 
remedies the paralysis was checked. Later on ab- 
scesses formed on my neck and head, increasing my 
suffering still more. Different times my chair was 



Recourse to Prayer. i8i 



raised a very little, but each time it brought on the 
paralysis so it had to be lowered again. Strong 
bands were passed from the top of my chair to 
small pads under each arm ; thus I was kept 
from slipping down, for when the weight of my 
body drew me down, it was only with great care 
and with intense pain that I could be drawn up 
again. In this condition I lingered until November, 
eighty-six — no better, and certainly weaker in many 
ways. In all this time I was never moved, nor 
could I even have my bed made. The way it was 
padded saved me this suffering, and the sheet had 
to be slipped from under me inch by inch by the 
hands of a most careful and tender nurse, my sis- 
ter. At different times we made novenas. I always 
felt that if I could go to St. Michael's Monastery I 
would be cured. My sister Mary was going to New 
York, and promised me she would go to the Monas- 
tery and ask the Fathers to offer the Holy Sacrifice 
for me. Father Albino instructed my sister to have 
me make a novena. I began the novena on Novem- 
ber 13, and at the same time I gave up taking all 
medicines. When I stopped the morphia the pain in- 
creased and was agonizing. The pain was not ordi- 
nary, but a throbbing sensation. On Wednesday the 
paralysis returned, and although my sufferings were 
so severe that while I did not seem able to stand 
it, yet the thought of death never came to my 
mind. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the pain 
was such that the thoughts of it now make me 
shudder. On Monday morning Father Farrell came 
by appointment to bring me Holy Communion. I 
was hardly able to make my Confession ; yet I de- 
sired to make a general Confession. Father Farrell 
would not allow me at first, as he thought I was 
too weak ; but as I insisted he finally consented. I 



i82 The Story of a Parish, 

made my general Confession and received Holy 
Communion. When Father Farrell had gone away 
my sister Mary brought me a glass of water, and a 
light breakfast. This I took ; and when she had 
taken the dishes away, I said, I am going to try to 
get up. She did not know how to advise me. Her 
eyes filled with tears, and as she gave me her hand 
I raised myself with as much apparent strength as 
ever. I felt no pain. Neither of us for a moment 
could speak. She asked me how I felt. I answered 
I had no pain. She bade me wait until she called 
my papa and my brother Tom. When they came 
in I was sitting up and this appeared to frighten 
them. They knelt down by my bedside and said 
the Rosary together. Then I felt so well I wanted 
to try to get up. Tom stood on one side of my 
bed and Mary the other, and each gave me a 
hand. I pushed myself down to the foot of the 
bed. They wrapped me in a blanket. My feet 
touched the floor. I stood up and walked two or 
three steps alone, and then I was overcome with 
emotion and nearly fainted. Joy at standing again, 
gratitude to God, overpowered me. It seemed all 
like a dream. As I was fainting my brother caught 
me and placed me sitting in a chair. They thought 
I was dying, and picking up the bottle of holy wa- 
ter from the Monastery, which I kept by my bed- 
side in my illness, my sister Mary put the bottle to 
my lips, saying, ' Jennie, swallow some.' I did with- 
out knowing what I was doing. Instantly I recov- 
ered my senses, and walked alone to the chair. I 
was cured. My left leg had curved from the knee- 
joint, but now there was no difference between 
them." 

On the second Sunday from the day of her re- 



A Complete Recovery, 183 

covery Jennie drove with her family, in spite of a 
raging storm and roads roughened by frost, to 
Church to make her thanksgiving. Unaided she 
walked to her pew, and unaided she went to the 
Altar to tell her gratitude ; and into the Sacristy 
after the Mass to pay her respects to the priests. 
The sight of her thrilled all hearts with admiration 
and thanksgiving. It may be said that fromi that 
time to the present she has enjoyed perfect health 
and attends to her numerous duties without the 
slightest fatigue ; and has never experienced a re- 
turn of her old symptoms. 

It is time now to turn to the new School. Bishop 
McQuaid arrived November 24, and in the evening 
visited the Young Men's Catholic Association in 
their rooms. The parlor was crowded, and over 
the Bishop's chair was a bank of flowers with '' Wel- 
come " in buds of brightest hue. 

The Bishop was most heartily welcomed by the 
scions of those he had ministered to more than 
thirty years before. In a brief speech he expressed 
the pleasure it gave him to be in Morristown again 
and to witness the progress the parish had made. 
He told them of the usefulness of Young Men's 
Associations, urged them to cultivate a spirit of 
loyalty to the Church, and portrayed the ideal 
Christian man. His remarks were frequently inter- 
rupted with applause, and at the close he was intro- 
duced personally to all the members. 



1 84 The Story of a Parish. 

The morning of November 25, Thanksgiving day, 
broke with dull and heavy skies that gave no hope 
of clearing away. Bishop McQuaid was occupied 
all the morning seeing the old parishioners and re- 
calling old memories. 

At noon Bishop Wigger arrived, accompanied by 
a considerable number of priests. When the hour 
fixed for the ceremony arrived the rain poured 
down in torrents. Under the shelter of an um- 
brella, undaunted by the storm. Bishop Wigger laid 
the corner-stone. On his return to the Church, 
which was filled with people, the school children. 
Young Men\s Association, Catholic Benevolent Le- 
gion, and other societies. Bishop McQuaid ascended 
the pulpit and spoke as follows : 

'' I am come here this afternoon to assist in the 
blessing of the corner-stone of this new, grand school- 
house for the education of the Catholic children of 
this place. Thirty-nine years ago they of our faith 
who dwelt in this place were few in number — their 
resources not over-abundant, with much to dishear- 
ten them, strangers in the land, strangers from a far- 
off country, not finding many friends in those times. 
Thirty-nine years ago the cry against our holy re- 
ligion — against the race to which we belong, was 
heard on every side ; we were not welcome in the 
country. They bade us go to one side : ^ Put your 
church in an out-of-the-way place where no one can 
see it ; go on a side street, you poor foreigners — go 
on a side street and build your shanty!' But we 
were heedless of their cries. No wonder we were 
not much thought of — much regarded by the people 



Bishop McQuaid's Retrospect. 185 

— no wonder there were so many spoke ill of us. 
At this time you had no church in Morristown. 
But why should you have one ? The other church 
is not far off — you were but a handful — you were 
only a handful of people ; then it was that this lot, 
already bought for the Church, but not paid for 
except with borrowed money — that this lot in the 
month of April had ground broken for the building 
of the Church ; the site for the new Church was to 
one side, so that here on the corner might be left 
the site for the future larger Church. 

'^ There in April, 1848, were dug the foundations 
of the building for the basement. Some cried out 
against the excavations for the walls being seven or 
eight feet high. We were riot to put the people 
to unnecessary expense — four feet would do very well. 

^' My answer was : These walls must be higher up 
to have a school. The walls of that church were 
built, the floors laid, the windows and doors hung 
August 15, 1848. And it was because the contract 
called for their completion on that day I chose to 
call the Church the Assumption. The Church was 
built in the following year, 1849; Bishop Hughes 
blessed it and preached on that occasion. In 1849, 
the Church of Morristown having been completed 
and the young pastor having no other Church to 
build — that year opened school in the basement of 
the Church at Madison ; a school for the children 
of the people of the parish. The school when 
spoken of — many thought the pastor had lost his 
senses, for already they were wedded to the public 
school. In September, 1849, ^^^ school at Madison 
was taught for six months before a word was spok- 
en to the people about how it should be supported. 
In the following September, 1850, the basement of 
the Church at Morristown was fitted up for a 



1 86 The Story of a Parish, 

school ; there was grumbhng here — every one had a 
word to say : * We cannot afford to pay the teacher/ 
That kind of talk was freely given. But the school- 
room was finished, the teacher was engaged and 
placed there. 

'' At the opening of that school there were 
twenty-five children present. In Madison we had 
twenty-four. Many children then walked two, three, 
four miles to school ; there were children who came 
from Whippany to the Catholic parochial school. 
These are bits of history which I give you. I know 
that you will not blame me when I tell you that 
I feel prouder to-day — prouder by far, that so many 
years ago I founded and established and carried 
along successfully the humble Catholic parochial 
schools of Madison and Morristown, than I ever felt 
at having established and founded Seton Hall Col- 
lege and Seminary for the education of the rich or 
education of Levites for the Sanctuary of God. 
Your mind cannot go back to the memories of mine 
in 1848. The storm of the battle that raged against 
us had scarcely passed away ; the smoke in the dis- 
tance still filled the country. We had gone through 
a terrible trial from 1834 to 1840, and then from 
1835 to 1836 the discussion of the school question 
began ; it was one of the greatest minds that led 
the people — the great Archbishop Hughes, whose 
superior America has never known. Among men, 
no matter where you placed him, in the church, in 
the rostrum, before statesmen, no matter where he 
was placed, he was a luminary. And when the 
Archbishop began his laudable career we were 
indeed a despised race in the land, despised not 
because of what others had done against us, but 
despised because we had not the courage of 
men. We were indeed a despised class in the whole 



Christian Training Appreciated. 187 

community, and we needed such a holy man, with 
such power of eloquence and such courage as Arch- 
bishop Hughes, to take the Catholics and give them 
courage and raise them out of their despondency. 
The worst enemies the Archbishop had to contend 
against were not the ministers of the churches of 
the land, they were not the editors of the news- 
papers ; the worst enemies of this noble advocate 
were his own Catholic friends. It was his Irish 
Catholic friends that betrayed him — that stabbed 
him in the back, and many of those belonging to 
our faith did their best to hinder the Protestant 
people from rendering us Catholics any assistance. 
But in the days when the storm raged in the land 
I was a young man growing up, taking no part in 
the affairs of the world ; but my ears were wide 
open to everything that took place ; then came to 
me this great truth : If ever we are to hold our 
Catholics to the faith in these United States, it 
must be through the instrumentality of Catholic 
schools for Catholic children. Just at this time 
Bishop Hughes was defeated in New York City by 
the treachery of his own friends. Just at this time 
the young priest came among you. I used to look 
around over these cities which I was familiar with, I 
used to look at those boys in New York, everywhere 
crowding our streets, but not crowding our churches, 
and many a time I have had occasion to say to my- 
self : If God had not been kinder to me than to 
these, might I not be much worse ? God in his 
mercy had given me the opportunity of a Christian 
education. Could I in common gratitude to Al- 
mighty God — could I not, then, try to gain children 
entrusted to my care, could I not try to teach 
them to know this same God by a Christian edu- 
cation ? So we began the school. 



1 88 The Story of a Parish. 

^' When the providence of God removed me to 
New Jersey my first thought was to get these Sis- 
ters ; so I went to Mount St. Vincent on October 
i8, 1853, and asked for two Sisters, the first to 
come to New Jersey. And what a blessing they 
are ! It is those women who are creating a Catho- 
lic atmosphere ; the prayers of the mother at home 
are continued in the school-room. Who can take 
their place ? You have this blessing in Morristown. 

'' May God bless all those here and never for- 
sake them ! Bless this congregation with added 
prosperity year after year, and all those who have 
gone before us, who are now looking down from 
Heaven upon the good work we are doing ! And 
when to-day I looked down upon the old grave- 
yard on the bodies I placed there — when I looked 
upon that place where those remains are gathered 
up and removed to a more beautiful cemetery, the 
thought came to my mind : Those souls, now in 
Heaven, gladly make way for the Christian school 
that is to stand there ; gladly resign their resting 
place for the foundations of the large, beautiful 
school-house; the saints in Heaven — for many holy 
ones I placed there — are now looking down upon 
us." 

The services were closed with Benediction of the 
Blessed Sacrament, and this ever-memorable day 
died out in mist and rain, as it had dawned. 

On December 19 the male members of the par- 
ish were assembled, the new School Society was or- 
ganized, and three thousand three hundred dollars 
subscribed before the meeting adjourned. William 
V. Dunn was elected president ; Thomas F. Clifford, 
vice-president ; John A. Carr, secretary, and Dean 



The Holy Name Society. 189 

Flynn, treasurer. It was resolved to have a certifi- 
cate handsomely executed, and given to each one 
on the receipt of the amount subscribed, duly 
signed by the officers, under the seal of the Church. 
Meetings were held every Sunday and contributions 
poured in abundantly. 

The success elsewhere of Holy Name Societies 
prompted Father Farrell to introduce a branch 
among our men, that they might share its bless- 
ings and extend its influence in fostering a deeper 
reverence for the Holy Name and extirpating pro- 
fanity and blasphemy. Permission from the Rector 
obtained, he had soon enrolled over a hundred 
names, and on December 19 the Society was for- 
mally established with the approbation of the Right 
Rev. Bishop. 




CHAPTER XIII. 

'HE great good effected by the guilds, which 
^UM ^^^ piety of our forefathers estabhshed in 
the Ages of Faith, seems to have inspired the forma- 
tion of associations for CathoHc Young Men. The 
danger of contamination from contact with those of 
different or even irreh'gious beliefs, almost wholly 
unknown in the Middle Ages, threatens now the 
spiritual ruin of our youth. To this may be added 
the new peril of ^' a little learning,'* enough to read 
but not to detect the sophistries which the press 
spreads out daily, the vaporings of error and unbe- 
lief. Then the grog-shop, the street-corner, the 
dance-hall, offer certain attractions and become a 
pitfall for the youth of both sexes. Hence the 
Young Men's Lyceum, or Club, or by whatever 
other name it may be designated, is to-day a neces- 
sary adjunct to the Church and School. Not indeed, 
as the Christian Association of other denominations, 
to supply the place of the Church, but to extend 
its influence, to interweave it in the duties and 
amusements of daily life, and, by its saving power, 
to shield our young men from the temptations 
which beset them on every side. The Association 
in Morristown had thrived and proved to all its ele- 
vating efficacy. 

But it was merely a tenant. Every dollar spent 

was for the benefit of another's property, of which 

190 




St. Mary's Young Men's Catholic Assoc.ta pion 
Building. 



A Bold Undertaking, 191 

our Young Men had the use at the good-will of 
the owner. A desirable property, in the very centre 
of the City, in the heart of its business, was put on 
the market. Dean Flynn invited the original mem- 
bers of the Association to meet him in the rectory 
January 17, 1887, and there proposed to secure a 
lot and erect a permanent home. It was thought 
that twenty-five thousand dollars would be the limit 
of the outlay for site and building. The gigantic 
character of the undertaking appalled one and all. 
How would they ever pay for it ? There was not a 
dollar in the treasury. The members almost to a 
man were struggling mechanics, who could but little 
more than meet the ordinary and necessary expenses 
of board and clothes. Yet they saw that the Pas- 
tor's heart was in the project, and they were not 
inclined to oppose him. The motion was passed to 
authorize Dean Flynn to purchase the property. 
Once more the Messrs. Marsh and Craig proved the 
sincerity of their friendship, and accepted with the 
one hundred dollars, loaned by the Pastor, a sight- 
note in payment for the lot. When the news spread 
it caused no little ripple of excitement and wonder. 

A recurrence of throat trouble again necessitated 
a rest from his pastoral duties. Dean Flynn was 
advised by his physicians to try an ocean voyage. 
After an absence of three months he returned in 
time for the duties of Holy Week and assisted in 
the services on Palm Sunday. 

There is the contagion of good as well as of 



192 The Story of a Parish. 

evil. Once the rock of generosity is struck the 
waters of charity flow abundantly. Mrs. Patrick 
Welsh presented to the Church the Pieta from the 
atelier of Mayer, Munich. It was solemnly blessed 
Sunday, July 3. 

Meanwhile, with the return of fine weather, the 
mechanics resumed work on the new School. A 
showery Spring, the fierce heat of Summer, retarded 
progress and fretted the Pastor, who was determined 
that the scholars should not go back to the old 
school, and that the session should open on time. 
He gave it his personal, daily attention and spurred 
on the contractors, who avowed that it was impos- 
sible to realize his wishes. 

The contract for heating with steam not only the 
school, but likewise the Church and Rectory, was 
given to Edward Dunn, of Newark, N. J. The 
steam-fitters did their work promptly and well. 

The beginning of September found the plasterers 
still at work and portions of the roof not slated. 
Steam was turned on to hurry the drying of the 
walls. The furniture was moved from the old build- 
ing, and new desks were put in the highest grades 
and in the primary department. On September 19 
the children assembled in the Church, the Mass of 
the Holy Ghost was said, followed by an address 
from the Pastor, and the children took possession 
of their new quarters. 

The interesting ceremony of the blessing of the 
new School took place October 9, with all that 



The New School Blessed. 193 

pomp and display which are characteristic of Catho- 
lic ritual, and which appeal so strongly to the chil- 
dren of the Church, and impress alike the believer 
and the unbeliever. All preparations had been made 
to carry out the ceremony on the preceding Sun- 
day, but the lengthy ceremonial of the consecration 
of St. Michael's Church, Newark, prevented Bishop 
Wigger from arriving here in time, and rather 
than disappoint the Catholics of Morristown he pro- 
mised to come again, despite the inconvenience 
occasioned thereby ; and kept his word, arriving at 
the Church about 2 P.M. 

The ringing of the bell indicated to the societies 
attached to the parish that the ceremony was about 
to begin. The Church was filled by the members of 
the various societies, and little room was left for 
outsiders. The altar ablaze with lights ; the little 
boys dressed in dark clothes, with red sashes crossed 
from the shoulder ; the girls with their white veils 
and scarfs ; the variety of banners ; the soft light 
shedding its rainbow hues through the magnificent 
muriel windows, all blended like the colors on a 
canvas and presented a beautiful sight. At a given 
signal the Bishop, preceded by Father Farrell, dressed 
in the vestments of a sub-deacon and bearing the 
cross, acolytes in purple cassocks with lace cottas, 
came from the Sacristy to the Altar with Father 
Burke as Deacon. Here Bishop Wigger intoned the 
hymn " Come, O Creator Spirit, bless," which was 
taken up and sung by the children. After the sing- 



194 The Story of a Parish, 

ing of prayers which invoked God's blessing on 
what he was going to do, the procession started 
from the Church to the School. First came Father 
Farrell bearing the cross, then followed the societies 
in order : The Infant Jesus, comprising the little 
boys ; the Angels ; the Sacred Heart ; the Children 
of Mary; the Young Ladies' Sodality; the women 
of the Rosary Society ; the Young Men's Catholic 
Association ; the Catholic Benevolent Legion ; the 
Rosary Society ; and afterward the acolytes and 
the Bishop. 

Various tuneful hymns were sung on the way to 
the School, where all the societies were ranged in 
front of the archway. The Bishop then blessed the 
outer walls with holy water, and the procession then 
entered the quadrangle, at the south end of which 
was an oratory, on which were a crucifix and two 
lighted tapers. Here other prayers were said, and 
thence the Bishop went from room to room, sprink- 
ling the walls with blessed water and incensing them 
with the fragrant fumes which curled from the cen- 
ser. This ended the ceremony, which many fol- 
lowed in the translation of the beautiful Rite made 
by Dean Flynn and which was sold for the benefit 
of the School. In his brief but earnest address the 
Bishop congratulated the Catholics of Morristown 
on their magnificent building ; alluded to the zeal 
of their priests, and dwelt on the necessity of Chris- 
tain education. He paid a glowing tribute to the 
devotion of the Sisters of Charity, who consecrated 



Dimensions of the School. 195 



their lives to the education of youth, and brought 
his truly eloquent remarks to a close by giving his 
blessing to his attentive audience. The procession 
then re-formed and returned to the Church, where 
Benediction was given. The event will not soon be 
forgotten and the ceremony marks an important 
event in the history of Catholicity in this county. 

The School is of brick, with granite trimmings, 
and has a frontage of 135 x 92 feet in depth. The 
entrance to the class-rooms is from a courtyard 
62 X 35 feet. There are four class-rooms 22 x 25 
feet ; two 26 x 25, and one 26 x 22. The base- 
ment on the south side has been concreted, and 
affords a pleasant recreation-room in stormy weather. 
On the northeast side is the Hall with stage, 90 x 
35 feet. 

In the second story are three rooms, held in re- 
serve for future need, divided by glass partitions, 
and respectively 35 x 31 feet, 29 x 21, and 29 x 34. 
The largest, fronting on Madison Street, is used by 
the Young Ladies* Sodality, the rear room by the 
St. Columbanus Council C. B. L., and the centre by 
the Senior grades for Cooking Classes. 

The style of the building is mediaeval, and re- 
flects the good taste of the architect, and is one of 
the attractive features of our beautiful City. 

The Bishop availed himself of the occasion to 
make his parochial visitation. 

On October 29 Bishop Wigger wrote to Dean 



196 The Story of a Parish. 

Flynn : ^^ I am happy to inform you that, at a 
meeting of the Diocesan Consultors, held September 
22, by the advice of these same Consultors, I ap- 
pointed you one of the three priests to constitute 
the Diocesan Examination Board." The Fathers of 
the Third Plenary Council reiterated the monitions 
of their predecessors to advance the interests of 
Catholic schools, and, to that end, advised the crea- 
tion of Examining Boards for teachers and pupils. 
Bishop Wigger has never lagged in his efforts to 
enforce the wise provisions of the Council, and the 
result is evident in the increased excellence of the 
schools. Grades have been advanced, uniformity of 
school books and method established, and both 
teachers and scholars stimulated to extra efforts. 

A very successful bazar, which opened Novem- 
ber 14, aided very materially in meeting the expense 
of the improvements in Church and School. A new 
feature was the Bazar Journal, edited by the chil- 
dren, which contained in its different issues interest- 
ing excerpts of local history. A society of women 
had been established to take care of the poor dur- 
ing the Winter months, by sewing for them, making 
and cutting garments, and providing the needy with 
coal and provisions. The Rev. Clarence Woodman, 
Paulist, gave an interesting illustrated lecture in 
the Church, which netted a goodly-sized increase in 
their treasury. 

The events of the year closed with Midnight 
Mass, which was celebrated in this Church for the 



The Diocesan Examiners, 197 

last time. The disorder which frequently annoyed 
the faithful and provoked scandal inclined the Bish- 
op to forbid its further celebration in the churches 
of the Diocese. 

The new year 1888 was still young when the last 
payment on the loan for the purchase of the Condit 
property was made. On January 7 Dean Flynn 
paid the balance of the fifteen thousand dollar note 
to the National Iron Bank. This obligation was 
met, the house furnished, and the streets graded 
and improved by the sale of the lots. 

A surprise was in store for the School. On 
Monday, January 23, the Rev. M. A. McManus, the 
Rev. J. Baxter, and the Rev. G. Funcke, the local 
Diocesan Examiners, visited the scholars, and put 
them through a searching examination on the matter 
outlined by the ^^ Schedule of Studies" for the ses- 
sion just terminated. Allowing for a little nervous- 
ness and timidity, the school merited the highest 
commendations of the visitors. 

On March 12 we were visited by the *^ blizzard," 
which for several days closed our school, stopped 
the wheels of commerce, and cut us off from com- 
munication with the outside world. Nothing like it in 
severity had visited this locality in the memory of man. 

The Young Men*s building, for which ground 
was broken in the preceding Fall, was advancing 
towards completion. 

In the Spring of this year a spirit of patriotism 



198 The Story of a Parish, 

seized our fellow-citizens, who resolved to mark the 
site of the old earthwork raised by the patriot 
soldiers of the Revolution on the lofty summit 
which commands our City on the west. The gran- 
ite boulder, about four feet high and weighing about 
four tons, was the gift of the Allen Brothers, one 
of whom was our former parishioner. It is inscribed : 

This Stone Marks 

The Site of Fort Nonsense, 

An Earthwork Built by the 

Continental Army 
In the Winter of 1779 and '80. 



Erected by the 

Washington Association 

OF New Jersey, 

1888. 

On April 27 it was unveiled with appropriate 
ceremonies. The stores were closed and business 
suspended. The buildings and streets were gay with 
bunting. Flags and streamers floated from their 
staffs, or were arranged in festoons in front of 
many of the houses. Among the handsomest was 
the display made on the Young Men's Catholic 
Association building. The young men, headed by 
their Spiritual Director, Dean Flynn, took part in 
the procession, thus marking their sympathy with 
the dead heroes, many of them Irishmen and Catho- 
lics, who, in the trying days of 1779, erected this 
barrier against British tyranny and oppression. It 



The Young Men' s Building, 199 

was, indeed, a gala day, an event to strengthen the 
affection of the old and foster that of the young 
for the land which has been so rich in blessings for all. 

On Tuesday, May i, took place the formal dedi- 
cation of the Young Men's Catholic Association 
building. 

A large flag floated from the front of the attrac- 
tive building, while the interior decorations were 
superb, a wealth of pictures everywhere gracing the 
walls, supplemented by banks of palms and flower- 
ing plants, sprays of cut flowers and smilax, fes- 
toons of bunting, and other decorations pleasing to 
the eye. The committee on decorations were 
Messrs. W. V. Dunn, M. F. Lowe, J. T. Murphy, 
and Thomas Holton, the latter furnishing the floral 
display that on every floor delighted the beholder. 

There were two receptions — one in the morning, 
to the ladies, and one in the afternoon and evening, 
to the gentlemen. The reception committee was 
Very Rev. Dean Flynn, Pastor of the Church of 
the Assumption ; President C. H. Knight, and 
Messrs P. Farrelly, T. Chfford, M. E. Condon, 
M. F. Lowe, John Murphy, Thomas Malley^ T. J. 
O'Brien, D. L. Fox, and P. Welsh. 

In the morning the committee was assisted by a 
number of ladies, friends and relatives of the mem- 
bers, and the scores of visitors were lavish in their 
admiration of the arrangement, finish, and equip- 
ment of the building. Voss's orchestra was placed 



200 The Story of a Parish. 

in an alcove of the lobby outside of the parlor, and 
sweet strains of classic music added to the delight 
which the inspection of the building gave. 

A special train brought a large party of out-of- 
town visitors in time for the afternoon exercises, 
among whom were Right Rev. Monsignor Doane ; 
Rev. J. M. Grady, president of the National Union 
of Y. M. C. A.; Revs. P. Corrigan ; Theodosius, 
O.S.B.; J. Nardiello, F. O'Neill, A. Kammer, J. Han- 
ley, J. Hall E. P. Carroll, P. Connelly, I. P. Whe- 
lan, T. O'Hanlon, M. Kane, Walter Elliott, M. A. 
McManus, John J. Hughes, J. H. Brady, Joseph C. 
Dunn, C. P. Gillen, J. J. Brennan, and others. 

Among the Morristonians present were Rev. 
Kinsley Twining, D.D.; Rev. R. N. Merritt, D.D. ; 
Rev. T. H. Hughes, D.D.; Rev. Wynant Vander- 
pool ; Fathers Flynn and Farrell ; Mayor Werts ; 
Recorder Chisholm ; Aldermen Barker and Far- 
relly ; Councilmen Foote, Dustan, Doty, Schureman, 
Malley ; ex-Mayors Miller and Taylor ; Doctors 
Lewis and Pierson ; ex-Assemblyman G. W. Jen- 
kins ; Chief Engineer H. A. Freeman ; Lieut. Com. 
Miller, Lieut. Turnbull ; Doctors Owen, Douglas, 
and Bradford ; ex-Mayor Seidler, Hon. W. W. 
Cutler; Messrs. G. G. Kip, H. W. Roberts, H. O. 
Marsh, Paul Revere, Carman Randolph, D. D. Craig, 
and many more. 

The reporter of the Morristown Banner gave an 
accurate report of the proceedings, which is here 
reproduced : 



MONSIGNOR DOANE'S REMARKS. 201 

^^ The exercises were opened in the handsome 
hall, seating some one hundred and fifty guests, by 
President Knight in a graceful address of welcome, 
which was to have been followed by a dedicatory 
address by Bishop Wigger, but owing to ill-health 
he was unable to attend ; and Very Rev. Dean 
Flynn, after reading the telegram of regret from 
the Bishop, declared the building, in the name of 
the loved prelate, dedicated to the purposes for 
which it was intended. 

^^ Dr. Twining was then called upon, and made a 
most happy and interesting impromptu address. He 
was followed by the Rev. J. M. Grady, President of 
the National Union of the Y. M. C. A.'s, in a speech 
full of encouragement and good advice. 

** Right Rev. Monsignor Doane was then intro- 
duced to an audience in which he had a personal 
acquaintance with almost every individual, and made 
a witty and eloquent address. Among other things 
he said : ^ Morristown has a reputation second to no 
city in the States. It has often astonished me how 
a city of eight thousand inhabitants could become 
so important. It must be the quality, not the quan- 
tity ! ' He also paid a tribute to Mrs. Miller, the 
mother of ex-Mayor Miller, at whose home he had 
spent many happy hours in his youth. 

'' His allusion to Father Flynn's boyhood days and 
the noble work of his riper years, although made in 
a vein of humor, were a high tribute to the zeal and 
ability of the Rev. Father, the Monsignor modestly 
taking all the credit for the erection of the hand- 
some building in which he stood, the new school 
building, and other work done here, because he had 
appointed Father Flynn to this Parish ! 

'' Mr. Thomas J. O'Brien, an active member of 
the Association, followed in the recital of a histori- 



202 The Story of a Parish, 

cal sketch of the society. Mr. O'Brien's address was 
heard with closest attention. It was a concise and 
interesting history of the birth and growth of the 
Association, and an accurate description of their 
building. We are glad to be able to give it in full. 

^' Mayor George T. Werts followed in an impas- 
sioned address, congratulating the town and commu- 
nity as well as the Association upon the accession 
of an edifice so handsome, well equipped, and per- 
fectly adapted to the purposes for which it is de- 
signed. The Mayor always handles English well, 
and his address was a source of pleasure and grati- 
fication to all who heard it. 

^'The closing address was made by Rev. Walter 
Elliott, C.S.P., who proved that the subject had by 
no means been worn out. Taken as a whole the 
addresses were the most satisfactory it has ever been 
our pleasure to listen to, not one of them being dull 
or commonplace. Musical selections were rendered 
between each oratorical effort, and the whole affair 
was well devised. 

"• The party was then invited to the gymnasium, 
where Day had spread a delightful dinner. During its 
service the band, stationed in the billiard-room open- 
ing above it, discoursed choice selections. All were 
comfortably seated and abundantly served, and the 
gathering thoroughly enjoyed itself, nor did it break 
up until the special train left for the City at lo P.M. 

'' Many of the superb and valuable things that 
grace the various rooms are the gifts of liberal 
hearts, and particularly is this true of those found 
in the finely-appointed parlor. 

'^ The centre of all observation is a portrait of 
Bishop Wigger, drawn in pastel and presented by 
Mother Xavier, of St. Elizabeth's Convent. It is 
the work of the talented Sisters of that institution, 



Aat Historical Address. 203 

and is life-like and complete in every detail. Framed 
in heavy gilt, it rests on an easel. The lace curtains 
are the gift of Mrs. P. Farrelly. A large table- 
cover and a tidy, embroidered, were presented by 
Mrs. Eugene Burke ; a series of fine pictures, scenes 
in Rome, by Rev. Father Farrell ; others, copies 
from the old masters, by H. W. Miller ; a handsome 
easel, by George W, Smith ; picture shades, by 
Thomas Murray; piano stool, by P. M. Kain ; hall 
lamp, by Looney & Carroll ; clock, by C. K. Johnson. 
The flowers were the gift of Thomas Holton, whose 
taste in their arrangement was as artistic as his gift 
was liberal. 

''Then, to crown the event, another gift of $500 
was placed in Father Flynn's hands on the day of 
the dedication. 

''Wnile many heads and hands have contributed 
to the work of perfecting the scheme and complet- 
ing the building, to Father Flynn more than all 
others is due the credit of making it possible and 
bringing it to a happy consummation. Early and 
late, through storm as well as sunshine, pressed by 
other duties that were never neglected, always happy 
and confident, he has studied and watched and di- 
rected the erection of another perfect piece of work 
that shall be a monument to his good taste, ability, 
force of character, and untiring energy.'* 

ADDRESS BY MR. O'BRIEN. 

''About the middle of August, 1881, twenty-six 
Catholic young men met, at the suggestion of 
Thomas Malley, in the basement of the old Church 
of St. Mary's, lately removed to make room for more 
modern improvements, and in an informal manner 
united themselves together for the further ' moral, 
physical, and intellectual ' advancement of each other, 



204 The Story of a Parish, 

and founded the Young Men's Catholic Association 
of Morristown. These informal meetings were held 
under the guidance of the Spiritual Director, Rev. 
Joseph M. Flynn, until November i, when more 
suitable quarters were secured in the Bates building. 

''On November lo the first regular meeting was 
held, at which the Rev. Spiritual Director read for 
the first time the order of business and the Consti- 
tution of the society. An election was then held, 
resulting in the choice of President, R. F. Dempsey; 
Vice-President, M. E. Condon ; Secretary, H. J. 
Curley ; Treasurer, D. L. Fox. As yet the furniture 
and surroundings of the rooms were very humble, 
consisting of a pine table and some old wooden 
benches. A few games of checkers and dominoes 
were all that offered amusements for the members, 
until a valuable acquisition, a billiard-table, was, pre- 
sented by Mrs. General Revere. 

''With a will, however, the young men worked 
together, each meeting bringing new applicants de- 
sirous of admission to membership. At the expira- 
tion of 1881, although but a few months old, the 
society counted fifty-two members. 

"In January, 1882, at the first annual election, 
the following officers were elected for the ensuing 
year : President, C. H. Knight ; Vice-President, R. 
F. Dempsey ; Secretary, W. V. Dunn ; and Treasurer, 
D. L. Fox. 

" With the proceeds of a bazar held in February 
they were enabled to furnish their rooms much more 
com.fortably. In this they were v^ry materially 
aided by valuable presents from Father Flynn, Mrs. 
Higgins, the late Mr. Nelson Wood, and Charles 
Knight. On August 15 the Association held its 
first picnic in Childs's Woods. 

" As the year closed the society stood upon a 



Pla ys and Lectures, 205 

good financial basis and numbered fifty-nine mem- 
bers. The officers elected for 1883 were : President, 
C. H. Knight; Vice-President, M. Norris ; Secretary, 
M. E. Condon ; Treasurer, T. Malley. On April 2 a 
successful performance of ' The Ticket-of-Leave 
Man ' was given in Lyceum Hall by the Dramatic 
Association. 

'' In May the project of starting a Library for the 
society was mooted, and substantial encouragement 
received from Dr. Owen, P. Farrelly, F. A. Carring- 
ton, and others, who kindly presented some very 
excellent and suitable works. 

'* Athletics were not ignored by the society, as 
shown by the defeat they suffered at the hands of 
the Morris Base Ball Club, in the game played July 
4. On July 31 the first Annual Steamboat Excur- 
sion was made to Roton Point. The Dramatic Club 
performed the drama of ' Time and the Hour ' 
and ' Funny Bones Fix,' in the old school-hall on 
Thanksgiving evening. A reunion of the members 
was held in their rooms, December 12. The annual 
election was held on January 29, 1884, and C. H. 
Knight was re-elected President ; T. Malley, Vice- 
President ; T. F. Welch, Secretary ; and M. E. Con- 
don, Treasurer. 

'' ' Solon Shingle, ' and by request ' Funny Bones 
Fix,' were given February 22. On April i the so- 
ciety took quarters in the York building, which they 
have occupied up to the present time. The first 
target excursion of the members and their friends 
was made to Newton, October 19. 

'' The monotony of the winter months was relieved 
by a course of lectures delivered in the rooms, one 
by the Rev. M. A. McManus, Newton, N. J., on 
^ Love,' the other by Very Rev. J. M. Flynn on 
* Money,' both of which were brilliant and witty. 



2o6 The Story of a Parish. 

* Don Caesar de Bazan ' was presented by the Dra- 
matic Club in the Lyceum, January 19, and by re- 
quest was reproduced, February 18. At the election 
held January 28, 1885, President C. H. Knight, Vice- 
President Thomas Malley, Treasurer M. E. Condon 
were re-elected ; M. F. Lowe was chosen Secretary. 
March 21 was the day chosen by the Almighty to 
remind the members of His inevitable decree by call- 
ing from their midst Edward J. Mooney, at the early 
age of twenty-two years. He was a zealous member, 
known to all for his good deportment and generous 
sentiment. Very Rev. Dean Flynn and D. L. Fox, 
as delegates, represented the society in the National 
Convention held in Newark, May 20. C. H. Knight 
resigned the Presidency July 5 ; T. Malley succeed- 
ing for the remainder of the year, and R. F. Demp- 
sey became Vice-President. September 17 found the 
members and their friends enjoying their second tar- 
get excursion in Newton. 

*^The emblems of mourning had scarcely been 
removed before God called upon the society to 
part with another of its members, and all bowed in 
humble submission at the death of William P. Foley, 
on October 19. He was scarcely twenty-five years 
old, yet he had endeared himself to all his com- 
panions, who felt keenly the loss of an active and 
exemplary brother. The officers elected on January 
5, for 1886, were: President, T. Malley; Vice-Presi- 
dent, W. V. Dunn ; Secretary, M. F. Lowe, and 
Treasurer, M. E. Condon. The ' Irish Yankee ' was 
produced in Lyceum Hall, February 22. The appeal 
of the poor fishermen of Galway for help received a 
hearty response from the society. The beautiful 
drama, ^ Eileen Oge,' was performed for their benefit, 
in the Lyceum. Father Farrell assumed the duties 
of Spiritual Director of the Association, and con- 



Election of Officers, 207 

tinued to discharge them during the temporary ab- 
sence of Dean Flynn. 

'^The excursion to Roton Point took place July 
20. The third annual target excursion went to 
Easton, September 22. Several musical and literary 
entertainments given in the rooms during the winter 
months afforded pleasure and amusement to the 
members and their friends. The ofificers elected Jan- 
uary 4, for the year 1887, were: President, T. Mal- 
ley ; Vice-President, T. Clifford ; Secretary, M. F. 
Lowe, and Treasurer, M. E. Condon. 

"• In response to an appeal for help by the La- 
dies of Good Help and the Charities Aid Association 
a reproduction of ^ Eileen Oge ' was given in the 
Lyceum on Washington's Birthday. An entertain- 
ment was also given in the old school-hall on March 17. 
Oscawanna Grove was the place chosen for the An- 
nual Steamboat Excursion, August 10. The target 
excursion was taken to Paterson on October 5. At 
the regular election held January 3, 1888, C. H. 
Knight was elected President, and Vice-President T. 
Clifford, Secretary M. F. Lowe, and Treasurer M. 
E. Condon were re-elected. A successful perform- 
ance of * Time Tries All ' was given in the Ly- 
ceum April 23. 

'' Retrograding, we find that at a special meeting 
held January 17, 1887, Very Rev. Dean Flynn stated 
that he so far approved of the desire of the mem- 
bers to erect a building of their own that he pro- 
posed to purchase from Messrs. Marsh and Craig a 
lot on South Street, containing a frontage of 24 and 
a depth of 136 feet, for eight thousand four hundred 
dollars. On this site stands the handsome building 
just completed. It is a three-story design, in style 
bordering on Queen Anne, with a front finish of 
terra-cotta brick. 



2o8 The Story of a Parish, 

'' The lower front floor is divided into two neat 
and commodious stores; entering the building from 
the left and ascending a stairway three feet wide, 
the visitor finds himself in the bright, cheerful lobby, 
22 feet square and 16 feet high. Turning to the 
right, he enters the large, comfortable parlor, which 
is 28 feet long and 22 feet wide, with a height of 
12 feet. 

'*• Crossing the lobby to the rear, he finds himself 
in the Association kitchen, and going still further on, 
enters the refreshing bath and toilet rooms ; still 
continuing on through a side hall four feet wide, 
he stands at the door leading to the janitor's quar- 
ters, and after his admission finds a suite of three 
large rooms, each 15 feet long and 12 feet wide, 
with ceilings 12 feet high. 

'' Returning to the lobby he passes down the 
spacious stairway to the first floor rear, and enters 
the billiard-room, which is 28 feet long, 22 feet wide, 
and 10 feet high. Two Collender tables tempt him 
to indulge in the pleasant pastime of billiards or 
pool ; but looking through the sliding windows in 
the rear, he is attracted by the merry laughter of 
the members, and retracing his steps, he descends 
to the lower floor and finds himself in the gymna 
slum, furnished with its odd but serviceable imple- 
ments for the development of health and muscle. 
The gymnasium is 70 feet long, 21 feet wide, and 21 
feet high. On one side is the bowling-alley, and on 
the other the shuffle-board. On this floor is the 
boiler-room containing the steam-plant, and a patent 
steam generating boiler, built by E. Dunn, of New- 
ark, which heats the whole building. The conse- 
quent weariness of climbing two flights of stairs is 
forgotten as the visitor ascends the wide stairway, 
lost in admiration of the chaste natural wood finish 



Happy Results, 209 

with its blushing cherry-wood trimmings, which pre- 
dominates through the whole building. He is also 
attracted by the light-shaft, 16 feet long and 10 feet 
wide, which runs from the roof to the basement, 
lighting the entire centre of the building. Arriving 
on the third floor he rests for a moment in either 
of the two large library and reading-rooms in the 
rear, each 14 feet long and 11 feet wide. 

"• Across is the handsome meeting-room of the 
members, 45 feet long and 22 feet wide and 12 feet 
high. Light and ventilation come from the large 
dome, the circular window in the centre covered with 
old cathedral glass. The large front centre window 
with its elliptic arch, and the two smaller side ones, 
are of French plate-glass ; their transoms are of 
stained glass containing the monogram of the Asso- 
ciation. Augustus Eichorn was the architect of this 
magnificent building, which cost $16,200. Every 
room is well ventilated, all the floors are deafened, 
and Looney & Carroll gave particular attention to 
the sanitary plumbing. John D. Collins did the 
mason-work, while Lonergan & Brown looked after 
the carpentering, as did Barrett & Dempsey the 
painting. 

^'Although the society is but seven years old, it has 
matured very rapidly, and is not surpassed by any 
in the State. It feels a justifiable pride in showing 
its roll of loi names, and pointing to 27 of its mem- 
bers who are representative business men of the 
town. The little acorn planted in 1881 develops 
into a stout oak in 1888, to remain as a landmark. 
It owes its health and strength to the invigorating, 
generous sap given to its root by the many kind 
friends and benefactors without whose assistance but 
little could have been accomplished. The society 
recognizes its inability to express its gratitude for 



2IO The Story of a Parish, 



the very many munificent gifts receivedo Its mem- 
bers will earnestly strive to show their appreciation 
by so deporting themselves as to reflect as much 
credit on the citizens as the new Association Hall 
does upon the buildings of Morristown. 

'' Thomas J. O'Brien. 
^^May I, 1888." 

Not content with the splendid reception given to 
the public, the Young Men added to their reputa- 
tion for hospitality by holding a reunion and com- 
plimentary reception for the members exclusively, 
and their friends of the gentler sex, on Wednesday 
evening. May 2. The rooms were newly decorated 
with flowers, and crowded with ladies and gentle- 
men in full dress, the whole scene under the brilliant 
electric light being one of rare beauty and life. 
Voss*s orchestra furnished the music, and promptly 
at ten o'clock p.m., President and Mrs. Charles H. 
Knight led the grand march on the waxen floor of 
the main hall, in which almost a hundred couples 
participated. The festivities were of a varied 
character : dancing in the upper hall, music, singing, 
and recitation, mirth-provoking games, in the parlor, 
Patrick Sharkey served a tempting array of substan- 
tial viands in the gymnasium. The dawn had 
awakened the birds to their matin song when the 
members and their guests brought to a joyous close 
the crowning event of their history. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

lOCESAN Ordinances require that a Mission 
1^ be given at least once every five years. In 
compliance with this law the Paulist Fathers 
Nevins, Doyle, and Wyman opened a two weeks' 
mission on Sunday evening, May 13, 1888. The 
usual happy results rewarded the zeal of the mis- 
sioners, and almost the entire adult portion of the 
congregation availed themselves of the extraordinary 
blessings which attend these exercises. The temper- 
ance feature of them appealed strongly, and many 
signed the cards which pledged the bearers to self- 
denial. 

From year to year the hand of Death was stead- 
ily reaping the harvest and garnering many of the 
pioneers. Among these, conspicuous by years of 
faithful devotion and generous deeds from slender 
incomes, were Thomas Degan and his wife, 
Jeremiah Callaghan, and Martin Murphy. The first 
was one of the oldest Catholic settlers. He had 
hired a yoke of oxen from a townsman, who bore 
no love to our Church, but rather bitter prejudice ; 
and this man, to his great chagrin, saw the outfit 
employed in digging out the foundation for the 
first Catholic church. As for Jerry Callaghan and 
Martin Murphy, the mere mention of their names 
awakens memories of deep-rooted devotion and un- 
selfish toil for the welfare of the parish. No picnic 



212 The Story of a Parish, 

was complete without them. It might rain torrents, 
the ardors of a fierce July sun might beat down 
upon them, they remained steadfast at their post. 
The removal by death of such men creates a void, 
and their absence suggests a feeling of lonesome- 
ness. 

Hitherto much care and attention had been 
given to the young men ; it was now time to show 
some consideration to the female portion of the 
parish, who by their free and willing, self-imposed 
labors had in the past made picnics, fairs, and 
bazars a financial success. The fine large room 
over the Hall in the School-building, fronting on 
Madison Street, was handed over to the Young 
Ladies' Sodality. 

They set to work to make it something more 
than a meeting-room. They would have it for the 
young women of the parish what the building on 
South Street was to the young men. To enable 
them to realize their ambition a festival was held in 
the Catholic Association building August 29, 30, and 
31, and with the proceeds furniture, rugs, shades, 
and a piano were bought, which transformed the 
room into an attractive parlor. The busy fingers of 
the members deftly plied themselves, and good 
taste and skill are revealed in the many little 
marvels of feminine fancy which adorn the tables, 
chairs, and the shrine of Our Lady. 

The need of a church in the western section 
of the City which St. Margaret's supplied was 



St. Margaret's School. 213 

succeeded now by the kindred necessity of a 
school. 

Catholic families multiplied in the vicinity, and 
scores of little tots awaited the all-important epoch 
of each one's life — their first day at school. In the 
most favorable weather it was a long, weary walk, 
which in storm could not be undertaken. 

It was determined to open a primary school, to 
continue during the fine weather. Some five-and- 
twenty little ones were seated in the Chapel on 
Tuesday, September 8, when Dean Flynn celebrated 
the Mass of the Holy Ghost for them. Misses Ella 
Kain and Ella Foley were successively the first 
teachers. The Chapel, as a matter of course, had 
to be used ; but what more fitting place to teach 
the little ones to love and lisp His praises than the 
lap of Him who said ''Suffer little children to come 
unto me" — than the very house of their Father? 
The good seed was sown early ; the future will 
gather the harvest. 

Our Young Men now bestirred themselves to 
reduce their indebtedness, and with the efificient aid 
of their friends among the ladies opened a two 
weeks' fair in their building. The excitement of a 
presidential election gave spice and spirit to the 
undertaking. Everybody, irrespective of creed or 
party, was eager to show practical approval of the 
great work. The Fair Journal^ issued every night, 
was replete with news, skits on the members, wit 



2 14 The Story of a Parish, 

and wisdom. The net returns were a pleasant sur- 
prise, and exceeded by far the most successful fair 
ever held by the Catholics in Morristown. Twenty- 
seven hundred dollars were turned over to the 
Treasurer of the Association, Morris E. Condon. 

October 24 brought the tidings that Bishop 
Wigger had honored the parish by making it one 
of the seven in the Diocese of Newark which ful- 
filled all the conditions for a permanent rectorship, 
and the pastor, by appointing him the first irre- 
movable Rector. Congratulations were not confined 
to the congregation, but came from other quarters. 
Among the foremost was the following from Arch- 
bishop Corrigan : 

^^New York, November 28, 1888. 

'' My dear Dean : 

'' I have noticed with great pleasure your ap- 
pointment as one of the Missionary Rectors of the 
Diocese of Newark. The news gives me so much 
satisfaction that 1 beg to tender you my congratu- 
lations, and to wish you every blessing and happi- 
ness in the future. 

*' I am, my dear sir, 

'' Very truly yours, 

'' M. A. Corrigan, Abp. 
'' V. Rev. Dean Flynn, 
** Morristown, N. J." 

At his own request and for personal reasons the 
Rev. Eugene A. Farrell was removed, and the Rev. 



S7\ Virgil's Relic. 215 

J. J. Shannessy appointed assistant priest by the 
Right Rev. Bishop of the Diocese, in the month of 
November. 

The Church was further enriched by the arrival 
of the precious rehc of St. Virgil, which, through 
the kind offices of Franz Mayer, of Munich, 
Bavaria, was so graciously given by the Archbishop 
of Saltzburg. The document which accompanied 
this treasure conveys ample information of its 
character and authenticity : 

'' Francis Albert, 

*^ By the grace of God and favor of the Apostolic 
See Prince Archbishop of Saltzburg, Apostolic 
Legate, Primate of Germany, Doctor of Sacred 
Theology and Philosophy, etc., etc., 

** To all whom it may concern, by these presents 
attest and affirm, that, for the greater glory of God 
and His Saints, have reverently placed a portion"^ 
of the head of St. Virgil, Bishop and Confessor, and 
Patron of the Church of Saltzburg, in a silver case, 
shielded with glass, fastened with red silk thread, 
and affixed with our larger seal in wax, granting by 
the tenor of this document permission to retain it 
or give it to others. 

* The case which enclosed the relic has the inscription " Reliquiae ex cranio 
capitis S. Virgilii, Conf., Ep'pi. et Patroni Salisbury." It bears the seal of 
thS Archbishop. 



2 1 6 The Stor y of a Parish, 

^' In testimony whereof we append our signature 
under our official seal. 

''Given at Saltzburg, the 24th day of March, 1887. 

'' Francis Albert, O.S.B., 

Archbishop, 
'' Seen and approved : 

^ '' WiNAND Michael, 

' ' Bishop of Newark, ' ' 

We have thus come into possession of, perhaps, 
the only genuine relic of an Irish Saint on this 
continent. And thus, after the lapse of twelve 
centuries, this saintly prelate, a voluntary exile from 
fatherland for the spread of the Gospel, finds 
among the children of his exiled race, in a land 
whose existence he maintained almost at the cost of 
degradation from his high office, a new home, ar- 
dent worshippers, and devout clients. That God is 
wonderful in his Saints is still evidenced by the 
blessings, both spiritual and corporal, which have 
been so abundantly shed upon us. Gratitude to 
God demands more than a passing allusion to this 
manifestation ^ of His power, as well to enkindle 
greater love and reverence towards Him as to 
strengthen the faith of the flock. 

Miss M for years was a sufferer from a se- 
vere disorder, and had tried vainly the skill of the 
local physicians and specialists of high repute. Hun- 
dreds of dollars had been expended in this fruitless 
search for health. 



A Remarkable Cure. 217 

On the advice of Dr. J. H. O'Reilly, and ac- 
companied by him and her sister, she visited the 
most celebrated specialist in New York. A patient 
and searching examination convinced the physician 
that a perilous operation would be necessary, with 
the chances of surviving it greatly against her. 
Womanly modesty more than the fear of death 
made her shrink from the proposition. 

On returning home, she began a novena to St. 
Virgil, and, as is usual, received Holy Communion 
on the morning of the ninth day. Dean Flynn 
read over her the prayers for the sick in the Ro- 
man Ritual and blessed her with the holy relic. 

Full of faith and joy, she went home and an- 
nounced to her family that she was cured. The 
scrutiny of the New York physician, whom they 
again sought, after another diligent examination, 
could discover no trace of her disease. She was, 
indeed, entirely cured. Neither medicine nor physi- 
cian had any part in her instantaneous restoration to 
health, but the power of God, through the inter- 
cession of St. Virgil. To carry deeper conviction 
the brief history of the case, written by J)r. O'Reilly, 
is given in full : 

*'A Short Clinical History of Miss M . 



"In the Summer of 1889 Miss M visited me 

in relation to certain troubles of which she had a 
long time complained. She gave the following his- 
tory : 



2i8 The Story of a Parish, 

*^ Perfectly well until the age of nineteen, when 
she became very much run down on account of 
some internal disease. Sought the advice of local 
physicians without relief. Very reluctantly agreed to 
seek the advice of an eminent Newark specialist, 
under whose care for three years she gained in 
health and strength, but the internal trouble re- 
mained unimproved. The great expense and in- 
convenience of going to Newark induced her to 
seek my aid. Discovering the serious internal dis- 
ease, I placed her under the care of Professor Lusk, 
of New York, having in view the performance of a 
dangerous and radical operation. Receiving but lit- 
tle encouragement from the latter physician, she was 
informed that it was absolutely necessary to under- 
go severe surgical treatment. She was advised to 
return as soon as convenient with her family physi- 
cian. 

*'0n October 15, 1889, accompanied by me, she 
again visited Doctor Lusk, but on examination 
Doctor Lusk exclaimed, with eyes full of wonder : 
* Why, doctor, your operation is spoiled. You can 
see for yourself.* I knew nothing of what she had 
done until we had left the doctor's office, when she 
told me that she knew she was cured. She had 
made a novena to St. Virgil. ' I am feeling,' said 
she, 'altogether different.' At the present day I 
have absolute proof that her cure is permanent. 
What human aid and skill failed to accomplish was 
effected by some higher power. 

'^ Signed: J. H. O'Reilly, M.D. 

*' Morristown, N. J., January 14, 1892." 

To enable the Ladies of Good Help to carry on 
their worthy mission during the approaching Winter, 



The Pastor's Pilgrimage, 219 

Dean Flynn gave an illustrated lecture on the Holy- 
Land, Sunday evening, December 16, in the School 
Hall, which was followed on the succeeding Sunday 
night by Patrick Farrelly, who described ^' The 
First American Pilgrimage to Lourdes and Rome," 
of which he was a member. 

The lantern views added greatly to the interest 
of both lectures, which netted a snug sum for the 
deserving charity. 

Hardly had the New Year greetings of the 
Pastor died away than he bade them again farewell. 
Threatened with a total deprivation of vocal power, 
he was urged to seek treatment and repose abroad. 

When the ocean divided him from his flock he 
determined to make his trip a pilgrimage, pressed 
to this course by the physician who treated him in 
Paris. In February, 1889, accompanied by the Rev. 
Walter M. Fleming, of St. Aloysius' Church, New- 
ark, he sailed from Marseilles, and after a voyage 
of four days reached Alexandria, Egypt. Thence he 
sailed for Palestine, and the dream of his life was 
realized. It was his high privilege to not only 
visit, but to say Mass in the Sanctuaries which 
mark the scenes of Jesus' life, woes, and bitter death. 

When he returned again to his flock he brought 
with him and distributed among them as mementos 
of his pilgrimage rosaries, medals, flowers, and a 
large crucifix of olive-wood which was blessed and 
indulgenced in the Holy Sepulchre, and touched to 
all the places hallowed by our Lord's Passion. 



220 The Story of a Parish, 

William Ryan, who as an exemplary Christian 
and trustee, had won the esteem of the parish and 
the confidence of two pastors, was called to his re- 
ward. Thomas F. Clifford was chosen to fill the 
vacancy caused by this death. 

In November the entire Catholic Church in the 
United States was celebrating the centennial of the 
consecration of the first Bishop, Right Rev. John 
Carroll. Although Baltimore claimed and held the 
honor of holding the festivities in the primatial 
city, yet the occasion was of general interest. The 
main feature of the event was the first American 
Catholic Congress. 

Seldom, if ever, in the United States, and never 
in any country beyond the seas, nor in any age, has 
been brought together such an aggregate of brains, 
money, and influence. 

Lawyers whose eloquence and legal lore have 
made their names a household word ; journalists 
whose pens dash off the able leader, keen sarcasm, 
or incisive wit to instruct and move thousands; 
millionaire bankers, miners, and railroad men from 
the East and distant West ; poets and historians ; 
brilliant scholars who add lustre to the names of 
Carroll, Bonaparte, and Willis ; soldiers and sailors 
whose bravery and skill, under the blue or gray, 
have enshrined their names in the hearts of their 
countrymen and won for themselves the titles of 
colonel, general, commodore, and admiral; the free, 
high-spirited Caucasian ; and the venerable Negro 



Ajv Imposing Ceremonial. 221 

whose black face, framed in snow-white hair and 
beard, stood out in the Congress with the sharpness 
of a silhouette, a freeman to-day, a slave only a few 
years ago. Twenty-six hundred laymen, the cream 
of intelligent Cathohcity ; eighty-four Bishops and 
Archbishops from the different Sees of the Union ; 
a Cardinal, five Archbishops, and six Bishops from 
Canada ; two Bishops from Mexico ; representatives 
from the hierarchy of England ; the Pope's delegate. 
Archbishop Satolli ; and priests, secular and re- 
ligious, without number, helped to fill the vast audi- 
torium of Concordia Hall. Every day brought ad- 
ditions to the assembled throng, until the hotels 
were, without exception, glutted, the hotel managers 
dazed, the hackmen and storekeepers happy ; and 
apathetic and courteous Baltimoreans amazed. 

The weather was beastly. Rain overhead and 
mud under foot made walking unpleasant ; but the 
ardor and enthusiasm of the delegates were not 
chilled by these drawbacks. The brilliant and im- 
posing ceremonies of Sunday, commemorative of the 
consecration of John Carroll, the first Bishop of the 
Catholic Church in the United States, in which 
splendor of ritual was mingled with the thrilling 
eloquence of the Archbishop of Philadelphia, and 
the classic melodies of Handel and Gounod, were 
followed on Monday by a Solemn High Mass sung 
by Archbishop Corrigan in the Cathedral, at which 
all the prelates and clergy and the delegates to the 
Congress assisted. The sermon was preached by the 



222 The Story of a Parish, 

Archbishop of Oregon, and never did orator stand 
before a more illustrious audience. The Mass 
ended, the delegates made the best of their way 
to Concordia Hall, and rapidly seated themselves 
in the places set apart for the different States and 
Territories, and marked on a placard for that purpose. 
The first opportunity offered to the Catholic laity 
in this country to voice their loyalty as a religious 
body to our republic, their sympathy with Leo 
XIII. in his afflictions, and their allegiance to their 
bishops and pastors, drew together men illustrious 
in every rank of life : The Vicomte de Meaux, 
Chief Minister of Agriculture and Commerce in 
France ; Premier Mercier, of the Dominion Parlia- 
ment ; the Hon. M. J. Power, Speaker of the Do- 
minion Assembly; Judges Daly and O'Brien, of the 
New York Supreme Court ; Semmes, of New Or- 
leans ; Carroll, of Little Rock ; Kelly, of St. Paul ; 
Dunn, of Florida; Fallon, of Boston; Generals Rose- 
crans, Lawler, of Wisconsin ; Tracy, of New York ; 
ex-U. S. Senator Kernan, Gov. Carroll, Hon. A. Leo 
Knott, late Second Assistant Postmaster-General, 
Col. Don Piatt, J. Boyle O'Reilly, Daniel A. Rudd 
(colored) ; Chief Joseph, of the Montana Blackfeet, 
and White Bird, of the Dakota Sioux ; millionaires 
Francis W. Palms, M. W. O'Brien, of Detroit; 
Eugene Kelly, Joseph J. O'Donohue, and the 
Messrs. Hoguet, of New York; Mayor Grant and 
ex-Mayor Grace, of New York ; and hosts of others 
conspicuous for talents and wealth in every city 



The First Catholic Co.ngress, 223 

of the Union. Acting Secretary Onahan, of Chica- 
go, who gave the Congress its initiative and impetus, 
called the delegates to order, nominated ex-Gov. 
Carroll, the great-grandson of the illustrious Charles 
Carroll, of Carrollton, temporary Chairman, and who 
later on by unanimous consent was made permanent 
President, and thus opened the great Catholic Con- 
gress. 

Archbishop Ireland, of St. Paul, the well-known 
temperance advocate, wittily dubbed by Archbishop 
Ryan ^^ the consecrated cyclone," opened the pro- 
ceedings with prayer. On taking the chair ex-Gov. 
Carroll made a speech which, had it not been fol- 
lowed by the brilliant, fervid effort of the silver- 
tongued Dougherty, would have gone on record as 
one worthy of the best days of forensic eloquence. 
While the usual routine of the formation of com- 
mittees was going on the President announced the 
Hon. Daniel Dougherty. His first utterance capti- 
vated his audience. From sentence to sentence he 
passed, rising in loftier heights of impassioned ora- 
tory, stirring to their deepest depths the hearts of 
his hearers ; stilling them at one time to death-like 
silence, at another rousing them to tumultuous en- 
thusiasm which broke forth in repeated cheering, all 
with one impulse rising to their feet, the ladies 
shaking their pocket-handkerchiefs, grave and vener- 
able prelates mingling by the clapping of hands in 
this spontaneous outburst of homage to the sublime 
genius and power of eloquence. 



224 The Story of a Parish, 

When he declared '' the Roman CathoHc laity of 
the United States, for the first time in Congress 
assembled, are here to proclaim to all the world 
that their country is tied to every fibre of their 
hearts, and no mortal power can shake their loving 
allegiance to its Constitution and its laws," Mr. 
Dougherty rose above his best efforts, and as he 
stood, his forefinger outstretched and his arm up- 
lifted to heaven, the mind instantly recalled the 
statues of Grattan and also his burning periods. A 
very tempest of applause burst forth ; the scene was 
simply indescribable. All felt that if the Congress 
accomplished nothing more, it was worth all the 
trouble, worriment, and expense of organization, all 
the wearing, tiresome journeying of hundreds and 
thousands of miles, to have brought out this splen- 
did tribute of affectionate loyalty and gratitude of 
Catholics to their country. 

Those who were privileged to listen to it will 
never forget it. The ringing, silvery voice, the well- 
balanced periods and graceful gestures of the orator, 
the profound emotion, manifested by the tears, 
silence, and deafening applause of his audience, made 
a scene rarely witnessed in the cycle of man's life. 

The speech of Judge Dunn, removed from the 
Supreme Court of Arizona by President Grant, was 
also a remarkable effort. His theme was the state 
and education. In conversation at the close of the 
Congress President Carroll declared he had never 
heard a speaker who infused more enthusiasm into 



Papers and Resolutions, 225 

an audience. Although each speaker was limited to 
twenty minutes, the delegates would not allow Judge 
Dunn to stop until he had spoken over an hour 
Mr. Charles J. Bonaparte, of Baltimore, read a 
paper — ^*The Independence of the Papacy.'* Time 
cuts queer capers. A descendant of the great Napo- 
leon, who imprisoned Pope Pius VII., in masterly, 
forcible, and merciless logic demonstrated the abso- 
lute impossibility of the Sovereign Pontiff, the spiri- 
tual ruler of millions in every country and under 
every form of government, being the subject of any 
king or parliament. '^ We do not ask for him 
honors or rank, least of all money — but freedom. 
It is not for a parliament of yesterday to confer a 
patent of honorary precedence on the successor of 
the Fisherman." 

The papers read by John Gilmary Shea, the his- 
torian, on '* Catholic Congresses"; by the Hon. 
Honore Mercier, Premier of the Dominion Parlia- 
ment, on " The Attitude of Canadian Catholics "; by 
Mr. T. O'Sullivan, on ^Woung Men's Catholic So- 
cieties," brought forth unstinted and well-merited 
praise. 

The Hon. Morgan J. O'Brien, Judge of the New 
York Supreme Court, Chairman of the Committee 
on Resolutions, read the report, which was unani- 
mously adopted. Other papers on temperance, 
church literature, church music, lay action in the 
church, etc., were read and printed in the report 
of the Congress. With a few words of admonition 



226 The Story of a Parish, 

from Archbishop Ireland, and resolutions of thanks 
to the committee of preliminary arrangement, to 
Cardinal Gibbons, the people and press of Balti- 
more, and to the presiding oflficer, ex-Gov. Carroll, 
the great Catholic Congress was at an end. 

On Monday evening a reception to the prelates 
was given, attended by the delegates and by the 
elite of Baltimore and Washington. The red robes 
of Cardinals, the purple cassocks of the Bishops, 
Generals in their uniforms, the French Admiral in 
full dress and decorations, the varied and elegant 
costumes of the ladies, the buckskin dresses and 
feathers of the Indian chiefs, made a brilliant pic- 
ture. Between three and four thousand were present 
to greet the Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops. 
Archbishop Elder, of Cincinnati, replied on behalf 
of his brethren in the Episcopacy to the address of 
Wm. F. Morris, of Washington, in a speech replete 
with historic reminiscences, wit, and feeling allusions 
to his work when the yellow fever devastated Missis- 
sippi, and the generous North sent money, pro- 
visions, and aid to their unfortunate brethren in the 
South. 

The cathedral, churches, schools, hospitals, or- 
phanages, and very many private dwellings were 
brilliantly illuminated. The headquarters of the 
Catholic Benevolent Legion was conspicuous for 
the gorgeaus array of gas-jets, its badge and other 
beautiful designs emblazoned in light. 

On Tuesday evening the rain and mist, which re- 



A Brilliant Spectacle, 227 

called English weather to those who have experi- 
enced it, and were calculated to make everything 
and everybody miserable, ceased, and a few stars 
peeped at the gathering hosts with torches and lan- 
terns, through banks of sombre clouds. 

From every quarter came the different societies, 
and as the eye ranged along Baltimore Street, with 
its undulating surface, it looked like a ribbon of 
kaleidoscopic hues. Torches, lanterns, lamps ; red, 
white, and blue umbrellas with branches of lights 
underneath ; floats, cavaliers, whose suits of armor 
and prancing steeds recalled the Crusaders ; Negroes, 
studies in black and white, their chapeaux decked 
with long white ostrich-plumes, to the number of 
nearly two thousand ; cadet-corps ; fife and drum 
corps of men and boys ; the splendid band of the 
New York Protectory Boys ; and the unequalled and 
unique Marine Corps Band of Washington ; and so 
they passed, lighting up the route with rockets and 
Greek fire, hundreds and thousands, for almost three 
hours ; until the brain whirled with dizziness, and 
the eye was wearied with the sight of the thirty 
thousand who took part in the most gorgeous pa- 
geant Baltimore has ever witnessed. The midnight 
hour tolled from the Cathedral tower, and the 
throngs of sightseers and participants still filled the 
streets ; and the Catholic Centennial went out in a 
blaze of glory. 

Mr. Patrick Farrelly was the accredited delegate 
of this State to the Executive Committee, and was 



228 The Story of a Parish. 

appointed on the Committee of future Congresses. 
Dean Flynn, Messrs. Thomas F. CHfford, John A. 
Carr, Peter Kain, M. E. Condon, E. T. Condon, 
Thomas Holton, Michael Norris, D. L. Fox, W. L. 
Fennell, P. Ryan, James Lawless were admitted as 
delegates, and at the close of the Congress visited 
St. Charles's College ; Doughoregan Manor, the home 
of the Carrolls, and the burial-place of the signer ; 
the Catholic University, Washington, the Capitol 
and principal buildings in the city, no longer of 
magnificent distances, but of magnificent edifices. 




The New Rectory, 1890. 



CHAPTER XV. 

wl®HE year 1890 was not only to bring addition- 
S^^ al improvements, but to demonstrate our loy- 
alty to country and veneration for the land and 
traditions of our forefathers. On Sunday, March 2, 
Dean Flynn announced at all the Masses that, with 
the Bishop's permission, he had sold the Sisters' 
house for four thousand dollars, and that this was 
virtually a donation of that sum to the parish, since 
it came to them from him as a gift. He further- 
more stated that a Rectory would be built on the 
site of the old Church, and when completed the 
priests would take possession of it, and the Sisters 
of the old Rectory. 

Although the festivals of Irish Saints find no 
place in our Calendar, the feast of St. Patrick has 
always been marked by observances of both a civic 
and religious character. A century ago, when tolera- 
tion was breaking through the mists and gloom of 
prejudice, Erin's faithful sons dared rally round their 
Saint and do him honor on his festal day, in Phila- 
delphia, as early as 1771. 

But when the handful of exiles had multiplied to 
thousands, when not scores but thousands of churches 
dotted the land, the celebration of St. Patrick's 
Day became more general. Shorn, perhaps, of its 
first touching simplicity, it has become more impos- 
ing with its added elements of banquets, poems, 

229 



230 The Story of a Parish. 

and orations. Morristown's turn came this year. 
After the High Mass the different Societies and 
school children gathered in front of the School to 
unfurl a flag from a staff, both presents. It will 
not be out of place to permit the local journals to 
describe the ceremony: 

** The services for the celebration of St. Patrick's 
Day were imposing and interesting. High Mass was 
celebrated at 9 a.m., at which the Very Rev. Dean 
Flynn delivered a graphic and touching sketch of 
the Saint's life, and especially his mission among the 
Irish people. His remarks were addressed princi- 
pally to the children to guard them against the vul- 
gar fault of being ashamed of their Irish names, 
a fault which can only come from ignorance of 
the glorious history of Ireland, and of its loyalty 
and adherence to the faith planted by St. Patrick. 
After this service all gathered upon the terrace in 
front of the school building, where a pole, donated 
by Lonergan Sz: Brown, had been erected. The pole 
is a very graceful one, some sixty-five or seventy 
feet high, painted white, and surmounted by a gol- 
den eagle. The school sang * America ' and other 
patriotic songs, and Rev. Father Flynn made a 
very interesting address. He paid a high tribute to 
the flag and the country it represents. Its referen- 
ces to local history give it an added interest : 

** *We are assembled to unfurl our national flag 
over our parish School, and it is with singular ap- 
propriateness that we do so on St. Patrick's Day. 
For here in Morristown was first given the public 
and official recognition of Erin's religious and na- 
tional feast day by the immortal Washington com- 



Irish Catholic Patriots of '76, 231 

manding the almost starved and naked patriot sol- 
diers then encamped among our hills. He realized 
that among the heroes who were fighting the pow- 
erful British nation none exceeded the large Irish 
contingent in bravery. It was March 16, 1780, that 
in the orders issued by him General Washington 
directs *that all fatigue and working parties cease 
for to-morrow, the 17th day, held in particular re- 
gard by the people of the Irish nation. At the 
same time that he orders this as a mark of pleasure 
he feels in the situation, he persuades himself that 
the celebration of the day will not be attended by 
the least rioting or disorder.' 

^' * Let none sneer at your nationality or at the 
nationality of your fathers. Let none use with con- 
tempt the scurrillous epithets which ignorance and 
bigotry have heaped in the past upon the Irish. We 
are no more aliens on this soil of America than were 
the Puritans. Irish blood has been poured out free- 
ly on every battle-field of the Revolution, and be- 
hind yonder hills mingle with the dust the bones of 
many of the Pennsylvania Line carried off by fell 
disease. 

" 'Do not forget that General Sullivan was the 
son of an Irish and Catholic father. Do not for- 
get that one of Washington's most trusted officers 
was General Moylan, brother of the Catholic Bishop 
of Cork ; and that the father of the American Navy 
was another Celt, Commodore Barry. Let it be re- 
membered that among the signers of the Declaration 
of Independence, when it was by no means certain 
that victory and liberty were to crown the efforts, 
bravery, and sacrifices of the Americans, Charles 
Carroll of Carrollton signed his name and staked 
his life and fortune on the result. Likewise Thomas 
Fitzsimmons, of Philadelphia, who gave largely of his 



232 The Story of a Parish. 

means, and commanded a company of Irishmen right 
here in Morristown. Furthermore, let me tell you 
that when Franklin was in Paris striving to enlist 
the sympathies of the French king in our efforts to 
be free, when everything looked dark and discourag- 
ing, when Washington had written him 'that if 
France did not send over her army the cause must 
fail,' it was the Pope's Nuncio, at the urgent re 
quest of the Catholic priest. Father Carroll, after- 
wards first Bishop of Baltimore, w^ho succeeded 
w^here Franklin failed, and thus we obtained French 
aid in money, troops, and fleet, which together with 
the bravery of our own American soldiers culmi- 
nated in the victory of Yorktown. What w^as 
Franklin's gratitude ? * Convey,' said he to the 
Nuncio, 'to his Holiness the Pope my thanks, in 
the name of all the Amicrican people. We shall 
never, no never forget Rome ! ' 

'' 'Again, let me remind you of the splendid tri- 
bute paid to Bishop Carroll by Washington : * Of all 
men whose influence was most potent in securing 
the success of the Revolution Bishop Carroll, of Bal- 
timore, was the man.' That influence would have 
made Canada our ally and one of the brightest stars 
in our banner but for the bigotry of John Jay, 
whose namesake and descendant is as conspicuous 
as his ancestor for his bigotry and hatred to the 
Catholic Church, to which this country is under a 
lasting debt of gratitude. 

" ' In times of peace our countrymen and co- 
religionists have contributed largely to the prosperity 
of our land ; and in time of war they have rallied 
to the stars and stripes, and have borne them high 
above the smoke of battle into the very ranks of 
the enemy. Shall we ever forget our Corcorans, our 
Meaghers, our Sheridans? — Sheridan, the bravest of 



The Flag-Raising. 233 

the brave, who dealt the last blow to Lee and his 
brave army ! Shall the heroism of the Sixty-ninth 
and Eighty-eighth New York and the Ninth Massa- 
chusetts pass from our memory ? Was it not the 
descendant of the Irish Catholic, Meade, who won 
one of the greatest victories of ancient or modern 
times, the victory of Gettysburg? 

** * Children, love and revere that flag ! The 
cross is the symbol of your faith, borne by 
Catholic missionaries into every land. Your first 
duty is to your God. The flag is the symbol of 
your country, love it with the intense ardor of a 
patriot. Allied to your duty to God is your duty 
to your country. When gazing upon the folds of 
this standard remember the lives it has cost, the 
liberty it has won. God bless that flag ! God bless 
our country, for fairer or freer there is not under 
God's sun ! God grant that our Republic may last 
through endless ages, and that the freedom we now 
enjoy may be extended to countless generations!' 

''' After the address the flag was raised to the top 
of the pole by Messrs. Patrick Farrelly and James 
Lonergan, where it was greeted with three hearty 
cheers by the audience, and the school sang: * Our 
Flag is there.' The audience then dispersed, and 
the Association marched back to the building. The 
procession both ways was headed by the Bailey 
Fife and Drum Corps, an organization of small boys 
from the school, which surprised and pleased every 
one with its good playing. Altogether the occasion 
was a very pleasant one, and may the flag of our 
Union long wave in front of St. Mary's School, and 
may the boys educated there prove as patriotic, 
brave, and self-sacrificing as their ancestors when 
occasion demands it ! 

^* In the evening an entertainment was given before 



234 The Story of a Parish. 

a large audience by the children of the school in 
their school hall. Among the many good things, 
the song and dance by the ' Old Folks ' and the 
broom-drill by the girls of the school should be 
particularly mentioned. 

^' In the afternoon of St. Patrick's Day a few en- 
thusiastic and patriotic sons of Ireland decided that 
the day so auspiciously opened should be fittingly 
closed by a banquet. The dining-room in Piper's 
newly-fitted-up hotel was thrown open for the first 
time, and about fifty gentlemen, admirers of Ire- 
land's patron Saint, sat down to a well-served re- 
past. 

'' After the tables were cleared, Mr. P. Farrelly 
moved that those present organize themselves into a 
Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. His 
remarks were greeted with cheers and the sugges- 
tion was enthusiastically endorsed. A temporary 
chairman was immediately appointed, and the So- 
ciety will meet shortly to elect officers for the en- 
suing year. 

''Rev. Dean Flynn was made toast-master, and 
by his well-chosen and happy remarks and with 
rare tact caused songs, recitations, and impromptu 
toasts to follow one upon the other until St. Pa- 
trick's night, 1890, was a thing of the past. 

"The recitation of * Shamus O'Brien' by ex-Coun- 
cilman Malley, and *The Pride of Battery B' by 
Mr. T. J. O'Brien, were heard with great pleasure 
and received much applause. 

'' Toasts were given by the Rev. Fathers Carroll 
and Shannessy, E. S. Burke, J. E. Fennell, Dr. J. 
H. O'Reilly, T. F. Clifford, F. Danis, and many 
others, while the songs by J. Romaine, A. Conway, 
W. Kenefick, and others were also some of the 
features of the occasion. 



The New Rectory, 235 

" After three cheers were given to the sentiments 
of ^ Long Live the Stars and Stripes ' and * God 
Save Ireland,' the first dinner of the Friendly Sons 
of St. Patrick in Morristown was brought to a 
close/' 

The old Church and School, around which clus- 
tered so many varied memories of joy and sorrow, 
pleasure and pain, the first effort of struggling faith, 
the venerated spot in which so many had been 
baptized, confirmed, married — yes, and borne by 
loving hands to receive the blessing of the priest 
before the grave had shut them for ever from mor- 
tal gaze — was now deserted. Its day was done. It 
was to pass into other hands, to serve other pur- 
poses. Cornelius Holly bought it for three hundred 
dollars, moved it to the corner of Madison Street 
and McCullogh Avenue, and altered it into a dwell- 
ing-house. 

The old foundations were used in building a low 
wall on the Madison Street side of the Church 
property. 

On March 22 the arrangements for the erection 
of the new Rectory were completed, and the digging 
of the foundation was begun. The contracts were 
given to Lonergan & Brown for the carpenter work ; 
Malley, Dempsey & Cooney, the masonry and plas- 
tering ; Kay Bros., the plumbing ; Thatcher, the 
painting, and Augustus Eichorn, Architect, the 
planning and supervision. The Rectory has thus 
been described : 



236 The Story of a Parish, 

" The building is of brick and Waterloo granite 
trimmings. It has a frontage of 52 feet, and depth 
of about 65 feet. It is a beautiful structure, show- 
ing an octagon bay-window on the west corner and 
a tower on the east side, the front highly ornament- 
ed yet chaste in design, the roof-line showing a 
finish in battlemented walls, the entrance and win- 
dows vaulted and superbly trimmed with the stone 
finish, the upper sash of the windows showing a 
neat tracery and cathedral glass. 

'' Entering the first floor through ample doors, 
we find a vestibule and a hall 9x6 feet that opens 
into another that is 50 feet long, and runs right 
through the building from east to west. There is a 
parlor 12 x 16 feet, and a study for the Rector, of 
which the octagon forms a part — a cheerful, commo- 
dious room that will delight the heart of the occu- 
pant. Back of it, and across the hall, is the Bish- 
op's room, 14 feet and 6 inches by 13 feet and 10 
inches. The dining-room is also splendidly propor- 
tioned, being 14 x 17 feet. The butler's pantry is 
7 X 12 feet, and the kitchen 15 x 18 feet. On this 
floor there is also a fire and burglar proof vault for 
the preservation of valuable records. 

** The upper floors are also well arranged, and 
the whole structure is an ornament to that part of 
the town and a valuable addition to what is a 
splendid church property. 

'' The building is heated by steam from the boil- 
ers in the school building. The Church is now 
heated from that plant, thus dispensing with all the 
inconveniences that sometimes attend a furnace in 
the basement of a house." 

In Lyceum Hall, May 23, the Rev. Walter 
Elliott, the Paulist, gave a vivid description, illus- 



Decora tion Da y Ser ibices. 237 

trated by lantern slides, of the battle of Gettysburg, 
in which he had participated. At its close the vet- 
erans of Torbert Post, who were present in a body, 
warmly thanked the reverend lecturer for the pleas- 
ure he had given them, and alluded to the stirring 
scenes the story recalled. The Ladies of Good 
Help were the beneficiaries to a large amount. 

The great national commemoration for those 
whose lives were sacrificed in the battles of the civil 
war and in the prisons of the South, for the main- 
tenance of the Union, did not appear to attract 
Catholics to any special observance. 

Decoration Day came and passed, with its pro- 
cessions, orations, and crowning the monuments and 
graves of the departed heroes with flags and flowers. 

The Paulist community in New York quickly per- 
ceived the opportunity to grace the observance with 
a religious character, and to set the Stars and 
Stripes closer to the Altar under the shadow of the 
Cross. The beautiful services inaugurated by them 
spread quickly to other churches. In this, as in so 
many other movements for the recognition of the 
Catholic Church in the United States, the Paulists 
deserve the entire credit. An humble effort was 
made here, if not in full imitation, at least within 
the spirit of their ceremony. Holy Mass was offered 
for the repose of the dead soldiers. A catafalque, 
draped with national colors, was erected in the aisle 
in front of the main Altar, and, at either end, a 



238 The Story of a Parish, 

stand of arms stacked. After the Mass a proces- 
sion of the male societies connected with the Church, 
headed by the drum corps of school boys, was 
formed, and the line of march taken to the Ceme- 
tery. There the Rosary and Litany for the Dead 
were said, and at the conclusion ranks were broken. 
It was a touching sight to watch the different 
groups kneeling in prayer at the grave which held 
some dear departed, strewing it with flowers, water- 
ing it with tears. In time the long roll of the 
drum gathered the scattered ranks. Homeward the 
procession turned, and thus, it was agreed, the day 
had been appropriately observed. 

Sunday, September 21, Right Rev. Bishop Wig- 
ger, D.D., made his visitation of the parish. On 
his way from St. Margaret's he visited the Young 
Men's building, and was greeted in the upper hall 
by almost the entire society. After some words of 
sound advice he was personally introduced to all 
the members by the Very Rev. Rector. 

The St. Margaret's primary school had so grown 
as to require the services of an additional teacher. 
To conform with the discipline of the Diocese, the 
Sisters of Charity were entrusted with its care. In 
September the school opened with an increased at- 
tendance, under the charge of Sisters Petronilla and 
Rose Clare. The Chapel, which had adequately 
met the requirements of the nascent congregation, 
was now entirely too small. To accommodate their 




I. Exterior of St. Margaret's Church, 1891. 2. Interior of 

St. Margaret's. 3. Residence— future Rectory. 



Removal of St. Margaret' s. 239 

elders the children had to be excluded. Moreover, 
the School required desks, blackboards, and other 
necessaries which the advancement of the children 
called for. The lot on which the Chapel stood was 
sold to Peter Kain, and the Chapel moved nearer 
the site on which some day, it is to be hoped, a 
nobler and more enduring edifice will be erected. 
It was backed up to the barn, the two buildings 
joined together, changed and fashioned into no 
mean structure. The downward trend of the land 
fitted the story under the barn in an admirable 
manner for class-rooms. For a few days, as the 
Chapel glided down Columba Street, the school ex- 
ercises were suspended, and only once was Mass 
dispensed with. 

Satisfactory progress had been made with the 
new Rectory, and to such an extent that on St. 
Catherine's day, November 25, the furniture was 
put in place, and the priests took possession of 
their new home. The same day the busy hands of 
the Sisters and scholars enabled the former to be 
transferred from their temporary house to the more 
comfortable and commodious quarters of the old rec- 
tory. Early in December the congregation was in- 
vited to inspect the new building. All day long 
throngs of ladies passed in and out. In the evening 
the men imitated their example. Lunch was pre- 
pared for all, and served by the willing hands of the 
Young Ladies* Sodality. 



240 The Story of a Parish. 

It is difficult to understand the ignorance which 
exists outside of the Church of all the things 
which pertain to its worship and dogmas ; at the 
present day this ignorance is inexcusable. From 
time to time the reappearance of an old recru- 
descent calumny, long considered dead and buried, 
pains more than it surprises. But, while in the past 
it was deemed prudent not to notice, but to cast 
the veil of charity over, these uncalled-for ebullitions 
of religious hate, the service due to truth and fra- 
ternal correction demands to-day their refutation. 
The public is a willing listener, and inclined to show 
fail play. When Error, writhing in its wounds, 
raises its head. Truth must be ever ready to crush 
it. This preamble will explain the correspondence 
which followed a newspaper report in the Jerseyma7i : 

*'The meeting of the McAU Auxiliary in the 
chapel of the First Church, on Tuesday afternoon, 
was well attended, and proved exceedingly interest- 
ing. After Dr. Erdman had conducted the opening 
exercises and made a few remarks of encouragement 
and sympathy with the work, Mrs. Burnham, in an 
informal address described a meeting which she at- 
tended last summer in * Salle Philadelphia,' Paris, 
dwelling upon the great simplicity of the entire ser- 
vice, the tender directness of the brief addresses, 
and the close, eager attention of the hearers, who 
evidently hunger for the ' bread that satisfieth.' 
Mrs. Burnham said that the question 'Why should 
America, the new world, feel that she has a religious 
duty to perform to the old world?' finds its answer 
in the contrast between the old and the new. Con- 



A Lamentable Error. 241 

tinental Europe is trammelled by superstitions to a 
degree that we, living in a Protestant country, can 
scarcely imagine. The Mass is the central idea, and 
although the churches are, as a rule, empty of wor- 
shippers, this daily sacrifice for sin is going on all 
the time, conducted by the great body of the priest- 
hood — in many places with a pomp and ceremony 
and splendor that reminds one of what we read of 
the old Jewish priesthood and ritual. Prominent in 
all is the worship of Mary and the Saints, the in- 
scription on one church being *To God and to 
Mary, equal with God.' Contrasted with these su- 
perstitions is the worship of God in the Protestant 
churches scattered here and there through Papal 
Europe ; but thousands upon thousands of the 
people, in breaking away from old traditions and 
beliefs in which they have ceased to trust, have no 
belief at all, and shun the church. To these light 
and hope have come through the simplicity of the 
Gospel, carried to them by Mr. McAll from Pro- 
testant England ; and it is the privilege of America 
to aid in sustaining the noble work." 

''Notes from our Correspondents. 

'' In the report of McAll Auxiliary, held in the 
chapel of the First Church, published in your issue 
of last week, many utterances of Mrs. Burnham are 
calculated to provoke and irritate those who profess 
the faith which, in what this good lady calls ' Papal 
Europe,' she so terribly arraigns ; but her sex shields 
her. There is, however, one blasphemous utterance, 
which, as the spiritual head of the two thousand and 
odd Catholics in this city, I cannot permit to pass. 
I shall place twenty-five ($25) dollars in the hands 
of the editors of the Jerseyjnan, to be expended in 



242 The Story of a Parish. 

the purchase of coal for the poor, if Mrs. Burnham, 
or anybody else, will name the church which bears 
the blasphemous, un-Catholic inscription, ' To God 
and to Mary, equal with God,' if she will furnish 
your readers with the inscription in the language in 
which it is written. 

^'Joseph M. Flynn.'* 

'' RiDGEWOOD Hill, December 13. 
'* Rev. Dr, Flynn, 

** Dear Sir : I wish to say to you that I had 
nothing to do with the notice of the McAU meeting 
as it appeared in the Jerseyman. I did not see it 
until I saw it in the paper, and then was shocked 
to find that statements which were made to illustrate 
the work of the society, and which were in no way 
suitable for the public press, had been selected as 
the basis of the article. I consider it outrageous 
and indefensible to attack any form of religious faith 
in the newspapers, and need not say that I am 
deeply pained to be drawn into a public religious 
controversy. It is one thing to express an opinion 
among those of one's own way of thinking, and an- 
other thing to publish it to the world at large. 
The latter I certainly never intended to do. Beg- 
ging that you will exonerate me from any such in- 
tention, I am, 

^^ Very truly, 

''Q. L. Burnham.*' 

'' MORRISTOWN, N. J., December 16, 1890. 

"' Mrs. C. L. Burnham. 

" Dear Madam : I beg to acknowledge the re- 
ceipt of your favor, and in reply to state that, 
while almost everything contained in the printed re- 



A Fair Proposition, 243 

port of your address before the McAll Auxiliary is 
controvertible, I had not in writing to the Jerseyman 
the remotest desire to lead you into ' a public reli- 
gious controversy/ I am not responsible for the 
published statement of your remarks. Either you 
have been reported correctly, or you have not. In 
the latter case a line from you will set you right 
before the public. In the other alternative either 
the statement made that a Catholic Church in Paris 
bears the inscription, * To God and to Mary, equal 
with God,' is true or it is not. If it be true, the 
poor of this city will profit by the $25 I shall place 
in the hands of Messrs. Vance & Stiles, when you 
furnish me with the name of the church and the 
inscription as it appears on the church. If it be not 
true, I shrink from the very thought that a lady, a 
professed Christian, is capable of making a wilful 
misstatement, even in the name of religion, to em- 
bitter the minds of co-religionists against a very 
much misunderstood and slandered Church, one 
which your illustrious Dr. Schaff calls ' the vener- 
able Church of Rome.' Truth fears not the light. 
It bears the scrutiny of the few as well as the 
searching inspection of the multitude. To gainsay 
the truth is never justifiable. To* pass over the 
strong injunctions of Holy Writ to maintain the 
truth on all occasions, allow me to quote from the 
* Larger Catechism,' with which, I presume, you 
are familiar, page 310, question 144 : ' What are the 
duties required in the ninth commandment?' 

" ^ The duties required in the ninth command- 
ment are, the preserving and promoting of truth be- 
tween man and man, and the good name of our 
neighbor, as well as our own : appearing and stand- 
ing for the truth, and from the heart sincerely, free- 
ly, clearly, and fully speaking the truth, and only 



244 ^^^ Story of a Parish. 

the truth, in matters of judgment and justice, and 
in all other things whatsoever, etc/ 

^* I beg of you to bear in mind that I do not 
charge you with any wilful, intentional violation of 
the injunctions contained in the above. I know 
from personal experience that rascally guides are 
plentiful in Europe ; and that they are ever ready 
to mislead the tourists who engage them, especially 
if they profess a religion different from the Catho- 
lic. But in a matter so serious, where a dogma of 
faith is attacked, where the faith not only of that 
particular parish, but of all Catholics, is smirched, 
then we are in justice bound to undo any mischief 
which a declaration of ours made in good faith has 
accomplished. A two-cent Catechism, the youngest 
Catholic child, would be a safer guide to inform 
you of what Catholics believe than nine-tenths of 
the guides and apostate priests, who never stop at 
a calumny or slander when it pays them. In con- 
clusion I do not think I am asking too much, when 
I request the production of the inscription and the 
name of the church which bears it ; or, in the event 
of your inability to do so, the source of your au- 
thority ; or, if you have been wrongly reported, or 
misinformed, a denial which will have the same 
publicity as the report of the McAll Auxiliary 
which appeared in the Jerseyman not quite two 
weeks ago. 

'* I am very respectfully yours, etc., 

^^ Joseph M. Flynn.** 

'' Wednesday. 
" Rev, Dr, Flynn, 

'' Dear Sir : Before I received your letter Mr. 
Burnham and myself had devoted much time to 
studying the inscription I had quoted, and had dis- 



An Accusation Withdrawn. 245 

covered that the translation was not correct, and I 
had written an article to that effect, to appear in 
this week's Jerseymaii, I regret having made the 
mistake, and have done all in my power to rectify 
it. The truth is dear to me, and I would not will- 
ingly make a misstatement on any subject, more 
especially on a question connected with religion. 

*^ Very truly, 

'^c. l. burnham. 

"Notes from our Correspondents. 

" In referring to the position to which the Vir- 
gin Mary has been elevated, and the estimation in 
which she is held, in many parts of continental Eu- 
rope, during an informal talk, by no means intended 
for publication, an inscription was mentioned, by 
way of illustration, which had been seen on a church 
in France. 

'* On further investigation it is found that this 
inscription, as quoted, is a mistranslation ; and it is 
desired to correct the error as soon as possible, 
with regrets that it should have occurred. 

" The expression mistranslated is as follows : 

* Beatae Mariae Virginis Dei Parae.' 

'^ The word ' Parae ' was supposed to be derived 
from *par,' meaning * equal/ although a difficulty 
arose in the incorrect termination of the genitive. 
This difficulty was noted at the time, but it was 
supposed to be a mediaeval form of the Latin. 

'^ During a thorough investigation of the subject 
in the past week various authorities have been con- 
sulted. Several scholarly men gave it as their 
opinion that 'parae' came from * par,* and meant 

* equal : but one, more familiar with patristic lore. 



246 The Story of a Parish, 

has given the information that ^ pan-e ' is used in 
ecclesiastical Latin to signify ' Mother/ 

''' The inscription should therefore read, the 
' Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God/ 

'' c. l. burnham." 

" Notes from our Correspondents. 

*^ I wish to express my acceptance of Mrs. C. L. 
Burnham's explanation. I cannot but marvel at the 
scholarship which twists par, an adjective declinable 
as nouns of the third declension, into parce. That 
boy is sadly lacking in the very elements of Latinity 
who could not in a moment declare that the nearest 
approach to parcB is the nominative, accusative, and 
vocative plural neuter. He would also unhesitating- 
ly tell his interrogator that par, when it signifies 
equal to, even with, is construed with the dative, 
never with the genitive. 

'' He would also say that Deipara has a kindred 
word in puerpera, used by Terence and other classic 
writers. It is not easy to say who first used 
Deipara. It is a coined word, an heirloom to us of 
the discussion in the Eastern Church of the divinity 
of Christ, the presence of the two natures and their 
various operations, begun by Apollinaris, developed 
by Theodore of Mopsuestia, and perfected by Nes- 
torius. 

'' Cyril of Alexandria claims that Dorotheus, 
Bishop of Marcianople, first attacked the use of the 
word theotokos, of which Deipara, that is, ' Mother 
of God,' is the Latin translation. Socrates, the his- 
torian, tells us of the consternation which a sermon 
of the priest Anastasius, whom Nestorius brought to 
Constantinople, caused when he warned his hearers 
not to call Mary theotokos, ' Mother of God.' This 



MarYs Dignity Vindicated. 247 

attack, he says, on a hitherto accepted ecclesiastical 
term and ancient belief, caused great excitement 
among clergy and laity. On the 22d of June, A.D. 
431, the Fathers opened the Council of Ephesus, in 
the Cathedral of Ephesus, which, strange to say, 
was dedicated, even as the church in Paris to which 
Mrs. Burnham refers, 'to God and to Mary, the 
Mother of God,' theotoko. In this assembly of holy 
bishops, confessors, and doctors Nestorius and his 
heresy were condemned, the use of the word theoto- 
kos vindicated, ' for,' as Athanasius, the great Bishop 
of Alexandria, said repeatedly, ' as the flesh was born 
of the God-bearer Mary, so we hold that Jesus 
Christ {the Logos) was Himself born of Mary.' 

'^ Joseph M. FlynNo" 



CHAPTER XVI. 

MN March 17, 1891, St. Margaret's Church, en- 
^^^ larged, refurnished, and fitted with pews and 
steam heat, was formally blessed by the Very Rev. 
Dean Flynn, to whom the Bishop had delegated this 
power. The Church was filled with worshippers, 
and the music was rendered by the children's choir 
under the direction of Wenzel Raboch, assisted by 
two sopranos of his widely-known boy choristers. 
After the ceremony of dedication Solemn High Mass 
was celebrated, the Rev. James McManus, of Seton 
Hall, lately ordained, Ofiiciant ; Rev. James H. 
Brady, of Netcong, Deacon ; Rev. Eugene P. Car- 
roll, Sub-Deacon ; Rev. J. J. Shannessy, Master of 
Ceremonies. Besides the pastor. Rev. J. J. Brennan, 
of Morris Plains, and Rev. Joseph C. Dunn, of Chat- 
ham, were in the Sanctuary. The sermon preached 
by Father Brady was a masterly effort, every word, 
every sentence, so clear and so rich in force and mean- 
ing as to hold the closest attention of his audience. 
He reviewed the significance of the ceremonial, and 
drew practical lessons from the beautiful life of St. 
Margaret. 

The new Church will comfortably seat about two 
hundred and fifty. The school has all the appurte- 
nances which the rigor of modern views demands. 

It is well lighted and ventilated. The children have 

248 



St. Margaret' s Church and School. 249 

ample recreation grounds. At the present date 
there is an average attendance of one hundred. 

In the evening the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick 
held their second annual banquet. The account 
which appeared in the local journals is appended : 

*^ The society was organized only a year ago, and 
its vigorous growth and present proportions clearly 
indicate its popularity. 

*' Members of the society and invited guests to 
the number of about a hundred met at the Young 
Men's Catholic Association rooms at 6:30 o'clock, 
and a half-hour later were seated at an elaborately 
decorated table in the commodious and inviting ban- 
quet hall of Piper's Hotel. Midway down the hall 
Voss's orchestra, of Newark, was cosily located, and 
sweet strains of music swelled above the friendly 
chatter of the Friendly Sons and ^adopted sons' of 
the Patron Saint whose memory all were there to 
honor. 

'' Rev. Dean Flynn, President of the Society, pre- 
sided, and upon either side of him at the T head 
of the table sat Rev. Dr. Hughes, Rev. Fathers 
Brennan, Carroll, Shannessy, McManus, and Brady ; 
ex-Alderman Farrelly, Colonel McAnerney, of Jersey 
City, and James M. Ward. Among the invited 
guests were Postmaster Youngblood, H. O. March, 
Dr. Stephen Pierson, Edward Pruden, Sheriff Linds- 
ley. Prosecutor Cutler, Chief Freeman, Charles H. 
Green, J. William Burns, and representatives each of 
the Jerseyman^ Banner^ and Chronicle, 

*'The walls of the banquet hall were festooned 
with the national colors intertwined with the folds 
of the green flag of Erin, and in harmony with the 
general fraternizing features of the occasion. The 



250 The Story of a Parish, 

menu was served in excellent style by a corps of 
competent waiters, and the aiisinc and general ex- 
cellence of the banquet as a whole was the subject 
of favorable comment upon all sides. 

'' Nearly two hours and a half were occupied in 
discussing the bill of fare, after which cigars were 
lighted and Rev. Dean Flynn inaugurated the after- 
dinner exercises by the reading of ' General Orders 
issued by General Washington, in Camp at Morris- 
town, N. J., March 16, 1780'; and 'Division Orders 
of Commandant of Pennsylvania Line, Morristown, 
N. J., March 16, 1780.' 

'' The first order related to the issuing of extra 
rations and special holiday cheer to the troops, and 
the second was similar in character. It was also 
brought out in this connection that General Wash- 
ington was an ' adopted ' member of the Society of 
Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, and it was humorously 
described how this was brought about through the 
ever-ready wit and versatility of the Irishman. This 
was followed by music by the orchestra — ' St. Pa- 
trick's Day.' 

*' Rev. Dean Flynn read letters of regret from 
Mayor Werts, detained by accident at Elizabeth, and 
Messrs Paul Revere, Thomas W. Burke, and C. S. 
Conkling, detained by illness. 

'' The President then announced the first toast, 
' The Day We Celebrate,' responded to by himself. 
He gave a brief and interesting account of the life 
and works of St. Patrick, and its subsequent bearing 
upon the Church. The address evinced a thorough 
and complete knowledge of the subject, and was lis- 
tened to with rapt attention. Music — 'Let Erin re- 
member the Days of Old.' 

'' ' The Old Sod ' was the next toast on the list, 
and Mr. Thomas W. Burke was assigned to respond. 



Music, Wit, and Oratory. 251 

In his absence, however, Rev. Father Brennan filled 
the gap to the entire satisfaction of all present. He 
gave a brief but comprehensive review of Ireland's 
history from before the Christian era down to the 
present time, and wound up with an eloquent tribute 
to the land of his birth, and gave encouraging pro- 
mise of brighter things in the near future. Music — 
*The Harp that once through Tara's Halls.' 

'' 'America — The Land of our Birth and Adoption ' 
was set down in connection with the name of Mr. 
Paul Revere, but in his absence Colonel John W. 
McAnerney, of Jersey City, did the subject ample 
justice and kept his audience in perennial good hu- 
mor by his happy hits, not forgetting to finish off 
with an eloquent tribute to the subject of the toast. 
Music — ' My Country, 'tis of Thee.* 

'' ^ The Irish Soldier ' was responded to by Mr. 
James M. Ward. He paid an impassioned tribute 
to the subject of his text, and displayed considerable 
oratorical ability. His theme was an eloquent one, 
and he handled it with great ability and with un- 
usual satisfaction to the audience. Music — * Tramp, 
Tramp, the Boys are Marching.' 

** ' The Rising Generation ' was responded to by 
the Rev. Father Carroll, the youngest and tallest 
clergyman present, and he humorously noted these 
points as the probable reasons why he was assigned 
to speak to this particular toast. He did the sub- 
ject full justice, however, and gave unmistakable evi- 
dence that he was one of the rising. Music — 
* Killarney.' 

*' * The Irish Bar — At Home and Abroad ' was 
wrestled with by John E. Fennell, Esq. He gave 
an entertaining and instructive history of the more 
eminent of Irish jurists, and paid eloquent tribute to 
many such whose memories are dear to the Irish 



252 The Story of a Parish, 

heart. O'Connell and Emmett were the special sub- 
jects of his enthusiasm and admiration, and to them 
he paid the devout homage of a possible candidate 
for a like illustrious record. Music — ' The Sprig of 
ShiUalah.' 

^^ ^ Soggarth Aroon — Priest Dear/ was responded 
to by Rev. Father Brady, of Netcong. It was an 
exhaustive subject, interesting and edifying. Music — 
* Savourneen Deelish.' 

^^^The Irish Muse' was remarkably well handled 
by Mr. Thomas J. O'Brien, who fairly merited and 
won the laurels of the evening. His eighteen min- 
utes' dissertation on the theme at once so familiar 
and dear to him was indeed a pleasing revelation to 
his friends. He was eloquent, poetic, even classic, 
in his eulogy of favorite Irish bards, and that he was 
complete master of his subject was evidenced by the 
graceful ease with which he quoted from memory 
choice selections from the particular author under 
discussion. His masterly effort was received with 
unbounded enthusiasm. Music — ' The Minstrel 
Boy.' 

'' ' Our Guests.' This toast was assigned to Rev. 
Dr. Hughes, and the result showed that the commit- 
tee made no mistake in the assignment. He was 
most happy in his remarks, said just enough, said it 
in the best possible manner, and then stopped. Rev. 
Dr. Hughes is master of the art of knowing what to 
say and how to say it. Music — ' The Valley lay 
smiling before Me.' 

'''The Irish Statesman.' Mr. Eugene S. Burke 
responded to this sentiment, and very cleverly imitat- 
ed his immediate predecessor in the matter of brevity 
and pertinency. Not a little of his thunder had been 
appropriated by speakers preceding him, yet he dis- 
charged his obligation in the premises with admirable 



Festivities Terminated, 253 

grace and tact. Music — ^ The Wearing of the 
Green/ 

"' ' The Ladies/ Dr. Stephen Pierson was most 
happily assigned to the dehcate task implied in this 
toast. He showed himself easily familiar with the 
subject in hand, and his response as a whole was a 
gem rich and rare. He proved conclusively that 
though woman is, ever was, and probably ever will 
be a more or less perplexing conundrum, man will 
never give her up. Music — * Rich and rare were the 
Gems she wore.* 

'' ' The Green Flag at Spottsylvania.' This was a 
recitation by ex-Councilman Thomas Malley, and 
was most excellently rendered. Mr. Malley has com- 
mitted to memory quite a number of popular pieces 
fitted to his rare oratorical powers, and the eloquent 
story of how the Irish color-bearer, after having his 
colors shot away, produced the green flag of his 
native land and, waving it aloft, led the gallant Sixty- 
ninth through the thickest of the fight, is among 
the best and most entertaining of his selections. 
Music — ^Cruiskeen Laun.' 

'^ When the ' feast of reason and flow of soul ' 
ceased with the last number on the programme, it 
was no longer St. Patrick's Day. Midnight had just 
passed, and the second annual banquet of the 
Friendly Sons of St. Patrick was recorded in history, 
and the sons and 'adopted sons' of Ireland's loved 
Apostle and patron Saint dispersed and wended their 
way homeward feeling that it was good to have been 
there." 

*^ The officers of the Society of Friendly Sons of 
St. Patrick of Morristown are as follows : 



2 54 The Story of a Parish. 

President : 

Very Rev. Joseph M. Flynn. 

Vice-President : 

Mr. Patrick Farrelly. 

Secretary : 

Mr. John A. Cam 

Treasurer: 

Mr. Eugene S. Burke. 

Board of Directors: 

Rev. J. J. Shannessy, 

Mr. Thomas Malley, Mr. C. H. Knight, 

Mr. T. F. CHfford, Mr. E. J. Looney." 



Morristown had hitherto known nothing of the 
feuds between labor and capital. The kindliest feel- 
ings existed between the employers and the employed. 
Hard times might elsewhere result from strikes, but 
our mechanics continued their work in full content- 
ment, blessed with prosperity. This Utopian ideal 
terminated in the Spring of 1891. Long- whispered 
threatenings and rumors gave place to reality. On 
May I the strike was here. Both sides were deter- 
mined not to yield. Day succeeded day until the 
first week of the strike ended, and the antagonists 
were wider apart. No effort was made to reconcile 
the conflicting interests. Bad feeling was brewing, 
and the innocent began to suffer. The Chronicle 
correctly outlined the situation. In its issue of May 
8 is the following account : 

**The backbone of the strike is not only broken, 



A Labor Strike. 255 

but the strike itself is virtually ended — unless it breaks 
out in a new place. 

'' Notwithstanding there were some indications 
that the strike might end with last week, it didn't. 
On the contrary, the fore part and middle of the 
present week a settlement seemed as far off as on 
the first day they went out. Some of our clergy- 
men took a hand in, led by Father Flynn. He cir- 
culated pretty freely among the men on Tuesday, 
and that evening there was an informal meeting 
held in the Young Men's Catholic Association rooms, 
with Father Flynn and Drs. Merritt and Hughes. 
They started out in the good work as mediators be- 
tween men and bosses with the best intentions, and 
notwithstanding many thought they would accom- 
plish but little if anything, the present situation — 
the strike virtually ended — is without doubt largely 
owing to their efforts in the premises. They brought 
about meetings between committees representing 
both the strikers and the master-builders, and de- 
spite the fact that these conferences between com- 
mittees at first promised but little in the way of 
favorable results, persistent effort finally brought 
about the present happy state of affairs. 

^* The fact that a large proportion of the strikers 
went to work yesterday upon terms which they sup- 
posed were practically unanimously agreed upon, is 
a great step toward the early and final adjustment 
of the difficulty. The lack of unanimity of demand 
on the part of each side has been one great barrier 
to the settlement of the case. Where there are two 
contending sides, each side should first of all agree 
as to just what they want, and then the case is 
clear for consideration. Thanks to the good offices 
of Father Flynn, Rev. Dr. Merritt, and Rev. Dr. 
Hughes, and the good judgment and mutual for- 



256 The Story of a Parish, 

bearance of the contestants on both sides of this 
controversy, it may generally be understood that 
the strike is virtually ended, as we confidently trust 
and believe that not more than another day or two 
will be required to reach a final settlement of any 
question or questions w^hich may yet be pending, 
bo mote it be ! 

'' As we go to press the glad tiding reaches us 
that the masons have come to terms and will go to 
work at once. The strike is over." 



On Sunday, May 31, the Rev. William O'Gor- 
man, who in his childhood had been prepared for 
his first Communion, taught to serve Mass, and the 
rudiments of Latin by Dean Flynn, celebrated High 
Mass in our Church, and gave his blessing to great 
numbers both after the Mass and the afternoon ser- 
vices. 

The life and labor of a Sister of Charity combine 
to shorten the term of exile and to hasten the re- 
ward which must crown a career of unselfish devo- 
tion to work, unheeded by mortals, but measured 
and rewarded by the Master alone. Sister Mariana 
was compelled by continued ill-health to withdraw 
from her duties, and her place in the senior grade 
was supplied by Miss Mclntyre and Sister Celeste. 

The closing exercises of the School, if possible, 
surpassed those of previous years. The primary 
grades of the Bayley School and St. Margaret's 
monopolized one night, the senior grades and grad- 
uating exercises another. Both entertainments filled 



The Balm for Present Ills, 257 

the hall with the relatives and friends of the chil- 
dren. 

The capital error of the age is lack of faith. 
The protagonists who in the sixteenth century led 
men away from the fold of the Church, by making 
them believe they had hitherto lived in thraldom 
and under the tyranny of priestcraft, held out to 
them the attraction of intellectual and civil freedom. 
It is as easy to master the forces of nature as to 
control the human mind when cut adrift from the 
secure moorings of faith. Every day in the denomi- 
nations outside of the Catholic Church religion is 
relaxing its hold on their members, faith is weaken- 
ing more and more, and Christ merging into the 
unreality of a myth. The ills of life multiply and 
become unbearable ; the world is restive and un- 
easy; the rich fear and oppress the poor, and these 
in turn hold the former in contempt and hatred. 
Under the guidance of the Divine Spirit the Church 
seeks to lead men back to happiness and content- 
ment, virtue and justice, by bidding them contemplate 
the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As men are 
leagued against Him, so will the Divine Teacher en- 
roll His hosts and followers in a League for the 
furthering of His honor and glory. 

On Sunday, July 12, the Rev. J. Kelly, S.J., ex- 
plained the nature of the league of the Sacred 
Heart, and established it in our parish. More than 



258 The Story of a Parish, 

eight hundred members are now enrolled in this 
society. 

In August Sister Marie Agnes was appointed to 
take charge of the School. 

It had long been apparent that the growth of 
this section called for some provision for the sick, 
injured, and infirm. For a long time the matter 
occupied the attention of Bishop and Pastor. The 
distance to the city hospitals was considerable ; the 
demands made upon them by the exigencies of 
their surroundings sometimes rendered it difficult to 
accommodate patients from afar. In the month of 
November, within the octave of All Souls, the ever- 
recurring thought returned ; but, while the building 
was attainable, it was a rather more difficult task to 
obtain Sisters trained and devoted to this kind of 
work. 

While pondering over the perplexing situation a 
visit from the Rev. James H. Brady helped to find a 
way out of the difficulties. The Grey Nuns were 
thought of. This was their special work. Would 
they come ? Dean Flynn and Father Brady quickly 
made up their minds to go and see. 

When they laid the proposal before the good 
Mother in Montreal she smiled, shook her head 
doubtingly, and said that while everything contem- 
plated in the Morristown institution was within their 
scope, she had not subjects to undertake a new 
foundation. Argument and appeal were alike useless. 






Arnold Tavern, 1778— All Souls Hospital, 1891. 



The All Souls' Hospital. 259 

Finally Dean Flynn summed up the whole matter. 
*' Mother," said he, " I place the whole responsi- 
bility of this project in the hands of the Souls in 
Purgatory and in yours. If you consent to take 
charge, I shall consider it as the expression of God's 
will. If not, I shall drop the matter entirely." 

All Mother Filiatrault would promise was to 
visit Morristown, or send some other in her place 
to see the property. On the following Saturday 
Mother Deschamps and Sister Painchaud reached 
Morristown. In company with Dean Flynn and 
Father Brady they visited the old Arnold Tavern on 
Mount Kemble Avenue. Before returning to the 
Sisters* house on Madison Street they expressed 
their willingness to undertake the work. 

The consent of Bishop Wigger was obtained in 
the following letter : 

''Seton Hall College, South Orange, N. J., 

''November 19, 1891. 
''Very Rev. and dear Dean: 

*'I have read the agreement made by the Grey 
Sisters of Canada with the Right Rev. Bishop of 
Springfield, and the By-laws of St. Ann's French- 
Canadian Orphanage. I am pleased with them, and 
am willing to receive the Grey Sisters into the Dio- 
cese to conduct the Orphanage, Hospital, etc., near 
Morristown, on the same conditions. 

'* With best wishes I remain, 

''Yours very sincerely, 
"iJ^W. M. Wigger, 
''Bishop of Newark:' 



26o The Story of a Parish. 

On November 21 the following was received: 

''General Hospital, Montreal, 
'* November 20, 1891. 
'' Very Rev, Father Flynn^ Morristown. 

'' Reverend Father : With pleasure we accept 
the proposition to go to Morristown, under your 
direction, to undertake the work of charity you 
wish to entrust to us. 

''As you know. Reverend Father^ we must first 
of all obtain the approbation of the Right Reverend 
Bishop of the diocese in which we are to labor ; and 
I may add that it will be some time before we have 
subjects for this new enterprise. 

" In the hope that everything will lead to the 
greater glory of God, I recommend myself to your 
prayers, and remain most respectfully. Reverend 
Father, 

" Your very humble servant, 

" Sister Filiatrault, 
" Superior ess-Geiieraiy 

The announcement was made to the congregation 
on Sunday, November 22, and was received with 
unbounded enthusiasm. It will not be out of place 
to permit the insertion of the sketch of the work 
written by the Rev. James H. Brady, of Netcong, 
for the journals of Morris and Sussex Counties : 

"A Hospital in Morristown. 

''Eds, Banner : 

" In the course of the ensuing year, when our 
own people will be making ready to celebrate the 



The Grey Nuns' Record, 261 

four-hundredth anniversary of the discovery of 
America, our neighbors on Canadian soil will be re- 
joicing in the two-hundred-and-iiftieth anniversary 
of the founding of their greatest city, Montreal, the 
old Ville Marie of the French colonies. 

'' To the stranger visiting Montreal to-day the 
most astounding thing, after the number of well- 
built, well-kept, and well-attended churches, is the 
number of charitable institutions devoted to the care 
of the sick and helpless, and the alleviation of every 
form of human misery. Foremost among these insti- 
tutions stands the General Hospital, occupying an 
entire square on Guy Street. 

'' During the past fifteen years Montreal has 
seemed to vie with our own great cities in putting 
on the habiliments of modern growth and progress. 
The General Hospital has kept pace with her, and 
to-day the home of the Grey Nuns, the Mother- 
House of the Sisters of Charity, is without doubt 
the largest charitable institution upon the American 
Continent. 

"" One hundred and fifty-three years ago the 
Superior of the Sulpicians, the Rev. Mr. Normant, 
sought in the city of Montreal means to resuscitate 
the institution founded in 1694, under the royal 
sanction of King Louis XIV. On the 30th of Octo- 
ber, 1738, Madame d'Youville, with three pious 
companions, rented a small house, laid the first foun- 
dation of a new religious order, raised aloft the sign 
of man's redemption, the holy Cross, and adopted as 
their motto the historic phrase, ' In this sign shalt 
thou conquer.' 

^^As usual in such matters, Madame d'Youville 
met with great opposition. She and hers were pub- 
licly hooted and pelted with stones. In derision 
they were called, from the color of their habit, the 



262 The Story of a Parish, 

' Grey Nuns. ' Later on this title of derision became 
a badge of honor and glory. No need to follow 
them through the century and a half of work for 
God. History tells of the devoted deeds of the 
Grey Nuns during the French and Indian and the 
French and English wars. Madame d'Youville lived 
to see Canada pass under the dominion of England, 
and died full of years and good works in the year 
1771. 

'' The work of Madame d'Youville has been 
bravely carried on. Her order has been approved 
by the Holy See, and, a few years ago, judgment 
was pronounced upon the heroic sanctity of her life. 
The special work of the Grey Nuns is the conduct- 
ing of hospitals, orphanages, and homes for the aged 
and afflicted. They are not a cloistered order. In- 
deed, one of their dearest tasks is visiting and care 
of the sick in private houses. 

^^A bright epoch in their history was the era of 
the Irish famine in 1847 ^^^ 1848. The traveller, 
after crossing the great bridge leading into Montreal, 
may notice a great bowlder resting on a pedestal 
in a small enclosure near the water's edge. The 
inscription on the stone tells the story : 

'^ ^ To preserve from desecration the remains of six 
thousand immigrants who died of ship-fever, A.D. 
1847-48, this stone is erected by the workmen em- 
ployed in the construction of the Victoria Bridge, 
A.D. 1859.' But it says nothing of the heroism of 
the ^ Grey Nuns.' The chronicles of the Grey Nun- 
nery tell us that * One day the Superioress, who had 
been to the hospital tents at the Point Saint Charles, 
summoned her Sisters to the community-room. She 
told them of the terrible scenes she had witnessed, 
of the poor strangers dying alone amid the most 
awful sufferings. *^ Sisters," she said, *'the plague is 



The Historic Arnold Tavern, 263 

contagious. In sending you there I sign your death- 
warrants. But you are free to accept or refuse.'* 
In a moment the Sisters arose and as with one voice 
exclaimed: *' I am ready.'' Their sacrifice was 
accepted. Numbers of them laid down their lives. 
But theirs was the victory, theirs the crown of mar- 
tyrdom, and the fruit of their labors the comfort 
and solace of the sick and dying.' 

'' To-day the Grey Nunnery stands a monument 
to the energy of the Sisters of Charity. Under its 
roof we find a miniature city. All sorts of indus- 
tries are carried on. Hundreds of aged and infirm, 
of foundlings and orphans, there find shelter and pro- 
tection. No less than ten branches of the parent- 
house exist in Montreal, and their work is spreading 
throughout Canada and the United States. 

'' ' But,' you say, ' of what interest is this to the 
people of this section ? ' I answer that it is of the 
greatest possible interest. 

'^ In the course of a few months a colony of these 
devoted women, the Grey Nuns, will come to take 
up their abode in Morristown. Poor as their Mas- 
ter, they will come empty-handed, ^ut if it be 
God's will that they ever abandon the field, they 
will return to the Mother-House no richer than they 
came. On Mount Kemble Avenue there stands a 
building rich in historic reminiscences. The old Ar- 
nold Tavern, removed some years ago from the 
square in Morristown, has long awaited a purchaser. 
This building sheltered General Washington in 1777. 
It was his first headquarters. There he spent several 
months with his chiefs of staff. This is to be the 
Morristown home of the Grey Nuns. The ball-room 
of General Washington will be turned into a chapel. 
The dining-room will become a hospital ward. The 
broad corridors that a century ago resounded with 



264 The Story of a Parish. 

noise of spur and clank of sabre will take on new 
life, and be filled with the soft-falling footsteps and 
rustling garments of the gentle Sisters, there to 
nurse the sick and afflicted of all races, colors, and 
creeds. In the building at the rear of the main 
structure a home will be provided for the aged and 
the orphans. 

" This institution will be the crowning effort of 
the life of Very Rev. Dean Flynn, Rector of St. 
Mary's parish. It is his intention to confine the 
work to the care of the sick and poor living in 
Morris and Sussex Counties. Humble in its begin- 
nings, it is his hope that the institution will grow 
and prosper with the growth and prosperity of Mor- 
ristown, and be a source of glory to God and of 
peace and comfort to the members of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, the poor, the suffering, and the af- 
flicted." 

The movement to create a fund for the new 
Hospital was inaugurated November 29 ; in the 
afternoon the male pew-holders were invited to meet 
in Bayley Hall. Paul Revere was chosen Chairman ; 
John A. Carr and Richard F. Dempsey, Secretaries, 
and Eugene S. Burke, Treasurer. 

In the evening the women rivalled the generosity 
of the men. On the following Sunday all without 
exception were called upon, and the sight of labor- 
ing men and servants handing in donations of 
money — ten, twenty, and even a hundred dollars — 
recalled the fervor which impelled the early Chris- 
tians to sell all they had and cast it at the feet of 
the Apostles. 



Permanent Organization. 265 

The parish was divided into districts, and a col- 
lector appointed for each district to receive the con- 
tributions of those who had been unable to attend 
the public meetings. 

Steps were at once taken to organize a perma- 
nent association, the object of which would be to 
carry out the good work. 

The following semi-official reports, printed in the 
local press, tell the story : 

^*The New Hospital. 

*' On Friday, December 18, the Right Rev. 
Bishop Wigger, the Rev. Rectors of the Catholic 
churches of Morris and Sussex Counties, and several 
prominent laymen of Morristown met in Bayley 
Hall to discuss matters pertaining to the new Hospi- 
tal. The Right Rev. Bishop occupied the chair, and 
the Rev. James H. Brady, of Netcong, was chosen 
Secretary. 

*' It was decided to establish a society to be 
called ^ All Souls' Hospital Association,' with head- 
quarters at Morristown and branches throughout the 
various parishes. Every parish will be represented 
on the Board of Management. A Constitution and 
a set of By-Laws were discussed and approved for 
presentation at a general meeting to be held in 
Bayley Hall, Morristown, on Monday, January 4, 
1892, at 2 P.M. 

'' The Right Rev. Bishop appointed as Committee 
on Organization, the Very Rev. Dean Flynn, Rev. 
Joseph Rolando, and Messrs. Paul Revere, P. Far- 
relly, and R. F. Hayes, with power to select a list 
of candidates for the various offices of the Associa- 
tion." 



266 The Story of a Parish, 

''All Souls' Hospital. 

''A well-attended meeting was held in Bayley 
Hall, Morristown, on Monday, January 4, at 2 P.M., 
to further the interests of the new Hospital. Repre- 
sentatives, lay and clerical, were present from the 
various parishes in Morris and Sussex Counties. 
Right Rev. Bishop Wigger was called to the chair, 
and the Rev. James H. Brady was chosen temporary 
Secretary. The Constitution and By-Laws were dis- 
cussed and adopted, the 'AH Souls' Hospital Asso- 
ciation ' organized, and the following officers unani- 
mously elected : President, Paul Revere, of Morris- 
town ; Vice-President, Francis Kluxen, of Madison ; 
Recording Secretary, Rev. James H. Brady, of Net- 
cong; Corresponding Secretary, R. F. Hayes, of 
Morristown ; Treasurer, Eugene S. Burke, of Mor- 
ristown. 

" The object of the Association is, to quote the 
Constitution, 'to assist the Sisters of Charity, known 
as the " Grey Nuns," to establish and maintain in 
Morristown, N. J., institutions for the care of the 
diseased, disabled, and infirm, and for such other 
charitable work as may be approved by the Board 
of Managers.' 

*' Membership, active or associate, is open to all 
who contribute each year at least one dollar to the 
support of the hospital. The payment of fifty dol- 
lars at one time makes the donor a life-member. 

" The Board of Managers chosen at the meeting 
include the above-named officers and the following 
gentlemen : Very Rev. J. M. Flynn, and Messrs. P. 
Farrelly, A. H. Tiers, Thomas Clifford, P. Welsh, 
C. H. Knight, M. E. Condon, John E. Fennell, 
Thomas Malley, of Morristown ; T. J. Allen, Net- 
cong; M. Devaney, Newton; J. P. Dolan, Mend- 



First General Meeting, 267 

ham ; T. F. Johnson, Dover ; M. J. Hyde, Frankh'n 
Furnace ; John Finnegan, Mt. Hope ; Henry Hous- 
ton, Chatham ; P. O'Reilly, Stirling ; Walter Cross, 
Morris Plains ; R. Dixon, Madison ; R. Coghlan, 
Whippany; J. McGurk, Hurdtown ; D. Madden, 
Ogdensburg; John J. Stanton, Deckertown. Three 
parishes are as yet unrepresented. 

^' After the general meeting a conference of the 
managers was held, and the following Executive 
Board was elected : Very Rev. J. M. Flynn, Rev, J. 
H. Brady, and Messrs. Kluxen, Dixon, Revere, Far- 
relly, and Hayes. Dean Flynn is Chairman and Rev. 
J. H. Brady is Secretary to the Executive Board 
and to the Board of Managers. 

^^ During the course of the meeting several speech- 
es were made. 

** Very Rev. Dean Flynn spoke of the general 
objects of the Association, and gave a history of 
the buildings to be used for the Hospital, a part of 
which were formerly known as the 'Arnold Tavern,' 
on the Morristown Green, which are rich in Revo- 
lutionary memories. 

'' Rev. Father Hall, of Mt. Hope, made some 
pertinent remarks concerning ways and means, and 
a general discussion then followed on the best 
methods of securing sufficient funds annually to 
meet the expenses of the institution. 

'' Father Brady made a speech in his usual happy 
vein, full of humor and good sense, in which he 
congratulated the meeting on the successful begin- 
ning of the enterprise, and prophesied for it a most 
successful future. 

** Mr. Revere stated that the object of the Con- 
stitution adopted was to make a permanent Associa- 
tion, which ought to number from fifteen hundred 
to two thousand active members. This, even at the 



268 The Stor y of a Parish. 

small dues of one dollar a year, would make a sub- 
stantial sum annually, and from the liberality already 
shown and the well-known interest of the people of 
this vicinity in all charitable work, would doubtless 
be largely increased beyond this amount. There was 
no doubt of the successful operation of the institu- 
tion, and that it would be heartily sustained by per- 
sons of all denominations. The institution is for the 
benefit of all in the community interested, who may 
need it. All who pay dues, either as active or as- 
sociate members, should look upon it as a kind of 
insurance against accident or disease, inasmuch as 
every one may have need of it, and would feel 
more at liberty to make use of the benefits of the 
institution if they had contributed even small amounts 
to its support. 

"^ Mr. Dixon, on behalf of those outside of Mor- 
ristown, extended cordial thanks to the people of 
Morristown, who had already so generously contri- 
buted. 

*' The Right Rev. Bishop congratulated the Asso- 
ciation on the excellent beginning of the work, and 
bespoke earnest effort in the future. 

'* Mr. Revere moved that the thanks of this meet- 
ing be heartily extended to Dean Flynn for his 
efforts in instituting this important work, for which 
we should be the more grateful as it is no part of 
his parish duties, but done out of the sole desire to 
benefit the people of Morris and Sussex Counties. 
Also we owe a debt of gratitude to Bishop Wigger 
and the clergy, who have approved and earnestly 
sustained the suggestions and plans of Dean Flynn. 

'' The motion was carried with an enthusiasm 
which showed that the meeting fully appreciated and 
sustained the sentiment expressed. 

''All those who contribute before the ist of 



Prayer and Promise, 269 

March will be enrolled among the * Original Mem- 
bers ' of the Association. 

"' Donations may be handed to any of the Rev. 
Rectors or to any member of the Board of Mana- 
gers, who will transmit names and money to the 
Treasurer. Mr. Burke reports over $6,500 already 
subscribed. At least as much more will be needed 
to place the institution in the hands of the Sisters 
free from all encumbrance." 



So, as we write the closing chapters of our His- 
tory, the day is almost at hand that will witness the 
opening of All Souls' Hospital. The name has not 
been chosen at random. On the way to Montreal 
the subject had been discussed by Dean Flynn and 
Father Brady. Dean Flynn proposed the name of 
*' All Souls.'' It was within the octave of the " Day 
of the Dead." Standing in the porch of the Grey 
Nunnery the two priests promised a number of 
Masses for the Suffering Souls in case their mission 
should succeed. Their offering was accepted. 

The historian of the future may write the chroni- 
cles of the new institution. Here you have the 
narrative of its foundation. The seed has been 
planted, the showers of Christian charity will water 
the tender nurseling, and God in His infinite good- 
ness will give the increase. 




CHAPTER XVII. 

N the great national conflict which divided the 
0§l North and South, in 1861, members of our 
parish were found under both flags. The roll is an 
illustrious one. On the battle-field, in the prison, 
in rank and file, the children of St. Mary's gave 
ample proof of courage and patriotism. 

Among all names there is one conspicuous above 
the rest — General Joseph Warren Revere. Descend- 
ed from a French Huguenot family, his grandfather 
was Colonel Paul Revere, of Revolutionary fame. 

At the age of fourteen young Revere entered the 
United States Naval School at New York, and be- 
gan a long career of service on sea and land in al- 
most every portion of the globe. In his sixteenth 
year he sailed for the Pacific, and was attached to 
the squadron employed in suppressing the African 
slave-trade. After narrow escapes from disease, 
wreck, and mutiny he was detailed to the European 
squadron, and visited every country of Europe, and 
the Mediterranean shores of Asia and Africa. His 
knowledge of many languages secured him a favor- 
able position through which he met the most dis- 
tinguished personages of the day. He was an eye- 
witness of the Carlist War, and served with the 
Mosquito fleet on the coast of Florida during the 
Seminole War. In 1838 he sailed in the first Ameri- 
can squadron which circumnavigated the globe. 




General Joseph Warren Revere. 



Joseph Warren Revere. 271 

When in India he saved the British man-of-war 
Ganges from shipwreck, and was presented for his 
service with a sword of honor by the Governor-Gen- 
eral. 

Throughout the Mexican War he was on the 
coast of CaHfornia. At Sonoma he raised the first 
American flag north of San Francisco. Soon after 
this he resigned, and was employed by the Mexican 
government in reorganizing the artillery services. At 
the outbreak of the Civil War he offered his services 
to the general government and received a commis- 
sion as colonel of the Seventh New Jersey Volunteers. 
The brilliant record of this gallant regiment, second 
to none in the service, has been largely attributed 
to the severe discipline it received under General 
Revere, whom General Hooker pronounced the best 
disciplinarian in the service. He was in all the bat- 
tles of the Peninsular Campaign ; was promoted to 
the rank of brigadier-general, and commanded the 
Second New Jersey Brigade until after Fredericks- 
burg. He was assigned to the command of the New 
York Excelsior Brigade ; and at Chancellorsville Re- 
vere's Brigade led the van in the desperate struggle 
after the rout of the Eleventh Corps, when How- 
ard's men retreated before the impetuous onslaught 
of Stonewall Jackson. Censured by General Sickles 
for his conduct in this battle, Revere was for a 
time deprived of his rank ; the opinion of his troops, 
and of Generals Meade, Sedgwick, and other high 
officers, held him innocent of any offence. Presi- 



2/2 The Story of a Parish, 

dent Lincoln declared that he had been unjustly 
treated and restored to him his rank, and he was 
subsequently named brevet major-general. It was 
after the Peninsular Campaign that one day, in 
Washington, brooding over the severe losses his 
regiment suffered from the terrific struggle, he was 
led almost unconsciously to a Catholic church. On 
the moment he felt the impulse, or rather inspiration, 
to become a Catholic. For years he had carefully 
studied religious matters, and consequently, when he 
presented himself to the priest and asked to be bap- 
tized, he was found thoroughly instructed in the 
principles of the Catholic Church. He received holy 
Baptism October 19, and his first Holy Communion 
October 26, 1862. Some years later he was con- 
firmed by Archbishop Bayley, in our own Church. 
During the period of well-merited repose in his de- 
lightful home he published in 1873 Keel and Saddle, 
a retrospect of his stirring life, and various maga- 
zine articles. The picture of the '' Espousals of the 
Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph," which hangs in the 
Church in our Lady's aisle, attests his artistic ability. 
He died April 20, 1880. One of his sons, our re- 
spected townsman, Mr. Paul Revere, was received 
into the Church some years after his father. 

Patrick Cavanagh, enlisted August 30, 1861, re- 
enlisted 1864, in Company C, Eighth New Jersey, 
was engaged in all the battles of the Peninsular 
Campaign, Seven Days' fight in the Wilderness, An- 
tietam, Gettysburg — in a word, all the battles of the 



Wa/^ Records, 273 



Army of the Potomac until the close of the War. 
He was wounded in the hip at Salem Heights, and 
was also severely injured in the back while assisting 
in the building of a bridge. He served throughout 
as a private, and died of apoplexy in Morristown. 

Edward Cavanagh, son of the above, enlisted, 
when considerably under sixteen years of age, in the 
spring of 1863, in Company B, Second New Jersey 
Cavalry. He took part in no regular engagement, 
and died of typhoid fever in the hospital at Colum- 
bus, O., January 24, 1864. 

Peter Carroll, enlisted in Company A, New Jersey 
Volunteers. 

John Cody, enlisted September i, 1862, in Com- 
pany I, Twenty-seventh New Jersey. This was a 
regiment of nine months' men, and one of the larg- 
est mustered into the United States service. It 
did good work at Fredericksburg, in Kentucky, and 
also in the Gettysburg Campaign, although its term 
of service had already expired. He died September 
21, 1881. 

Patrick Coughlan, enlisted in the Fourth New 
York Cavalry, and died in Morristown, New Jersey. 

John Darcy, enlisted February 24, 186-, and after 
serving five months was discharged. He died of 
consumption in Orange. 

Bartholomew W. Dempsey, enlisted in Company 
K, Seventh New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, Octo- 
ber 2, 1861, and re-enlisted December 26, 1863. 
The obituary notice in the Banner says of him : 



2/4 The Story of a Parish. 

** Tall in stature, fair of face, slight in form, 
scarcely sixteen years of age, was that manly, quiet, 
unobtrusive boy when he signed the muster-roll of 
Company K. How often and how well he fought the 
twenty-six battles in which his regiment and brigade 
were engaged ! And yet the brave boy never re- 
ceived a scratch or wound." 

Captured June 22, 1864, in front of Petersburg, 
Corporal Dempsey was immured in the death-pen 
at Andersonville, Ga. Here he lingered ten months. 
During this frightful period he was thoughtful enough 
to keep an exact record of the name, company, 
regiment, date and cause of death, and number of 
the grave, of all the New Jersey soldiers who, dur- 
ing that time, succumbed to the horrors of the place 
and the brutality of its custodians. One hundred 
and forty-eight names appear in his diary, with the 
sad details of their death. Although he survived 
long enough to be released, April 21, 1865, and to 
return to his native city, he carried with him the 
germs of the disease which eventually brought him 
to an early grave. He died of consumption in 
Morristown, N. J., March 20, 1879, aged thirty-four 
years. 

John Edwards, enlisted in the Fourth New York 
Cavalry and was killed in battle. 

Timothy Fitzgerald, enlisted February 26, 1865, 
took part in the battles around Petersburg, and was 
discharged July 22. 

Cornelius Hally, enhsted in Company A, Thirty- 



Veterans of the Civil War, 275 

fifth New Jersey, February 24, 1865, and was dis- 
charged August I. 

Peter M. Kain, enlisted October 6, 1862, in Com- 
pany K, Seventh New Jersey, and served through- 
out the War. He took part in all the battles of 
the Army of the Potomac ; he was wounded at Get- 
tysburg, and was with Grant when Lee surren- 
dered. 

Patrick Kating, enlisted February 24, 1865, was 
discharged in August, and died in Morristown. 

Edward Kenny, enlisted June 11, 1862, in a New 
Jersey regiment. 

John J. Kenny, enlisted August, 1862, in Com- 
pany K, 176th Regiment, New York Volunteers, and 
served as a private eighteen months. He was en- 
gaged in the battles of the Army of the Southwest, 
and was wounded in the chin at Brazier City. He 
died November 19, 1891, of consumption, in Morris- 
town, N. J. 

Bernard Lynch, enlisted in the Navy, was one 
of the crew of the U. S. Ship Oneida^ sunk by a 
British ship, and was drowned. 

Thomas Lynch, enlisted in the Fall of 1861, in 
Company K, Seventh New Jersey, was engaged at 
Yorktown and Williamsburg, where he was wound- 
ed. After a long illness was discharged from the 
Arriiy ; but he enlisted in the Navy, and in the 
frigate Niagara saw service with the European 
squadron. After the sinking of the Confederate 
privateer Alabama he returned home. He served 



276 The Story of a Parish, 

less than a year in the Army, and about two years 
in the Navy. He died in Dover, New Jersey, 1886. 

Thomas H. Murray, enlisted March 10, 1865, in 
Company D, Thirty-fifth New Jersey. He was with 
General Sherman in his march through North and 
South Carolina. 

William Murphy, Fourth New York Cavalry, was 
killed in battle ; also John W. O'Donnell ; and of 
John Lonergan, enlisted in 1862, and Thomas Fin- 
ney, Company C, Seventh New Jersey, and Patrick 
Finney, enlisted January 17, 1864, there are no 
records. 

Michael McLaughlin, Patrick McShane, Patrick 
Morrissey, and Charles McLaughlin enlisted in Cap- 
tain Revere's Company, Fourth New York Cavalry. 

George Rooth served seventeen months in the 
same company and regiment, and died in Morris- 
town, January 12, 1867. 

James Shadwell, enlisted in the Seventy-ninth 
New York Regiment, and died in Morristown. 

James Sweeny, enlisted in 1862, in Company H, 
Eleventh New Jersey, was wounded at Malvern Hill, 
and was discharged from hospital. 

In the Confederate service David W. Smith, born 
in Morristown and the first boy to serve Mass in 
the old Church, enlisted in the Fifth Company of 
the Washington Artillery of New Orleans. He rose 
to the rank of sergeant and served until captured 
towards the close of the War. 

William Condon went South before the War and 



The Confederate Service. 2yy 

settled in North Carolina. When hostilities broke 
out he enlisted in an infantry regiment of the Tar- 
heel State and was captured at Gettysburg. Efforts 
were made to have him take the oath of allegiance 
and return to his family in Morristown. This pro- 
posal he indignantly rejected, saying he preferred 
to stick to the Stars and Bars, and even die in its 
defence. He died South after the close of the War. 




CHAPTER XVIII. 

'HE sands of my ^' Story" have run out. Lit- 
g tie remains to record, except the generosity 
of those who have contributed so much to the beau- 
tifying of our Church. 

An oversight to mention in its proper place a 
signal example of exceptional liberality is now 
noted. When Father Sheeran made known his in- 
tention to build a Church, the first to come forward 
with a donation was a little Italian boy, rescued 
from the cruelty of a padrone, John Roman. His 
gift was five dollars, made up of pennies and nick- 
els ! Larger amounts were given, but they did not 
cost the sacrifice of this offering. 

The windows in the Lady Chapel have already 
been mentioned. 

The Father Sheeran Memorial bears above the 
symbol of the pelican, and beneath the inscription : 

** To the memory of Rev. James Sheeran, who 
crowned a life of zeal, energy, and labor by the 
erection of this Church. Rich in good works, he 
slept in the Lord April 3, 1881. Merciful Jesu, 
grant him eternal rest. Amen." 

To the left are the beautiful cherubs to the 
memory of 

**John Carr, died November 2"]^ 1876. 

*' James Carr, died June 16, 1878." 

These are the gift of John A. Carr. 

278 



Memorial Windows, 279 

On the right of Father Sheeran's window is that 
of St. Henry and St. Agnes, with the emblem, an 
anchor. This is the gift of Mrs. Agnes Kelly, and 
bears the inscription : 

" To the glory of God, and in loving memory of 
the deceased husband of Agnes Kelly. A.D. 1886.*' 

Next is the window of St. Monica and St. Au- 
gustine, the gift of Mrs. L. Robeson. A bunch of 
lilies is in the little rose window, and the inscrip- 
tion reads : 

"• Daniel Augustine Robeson, died September 20, 
1869. 

^' Sweet Jesu, grant him and us everlasting life.'' 

The window of St. Ann and the infant Virgin 
and St. Bernard, with the crown as an emblem, is 
the gift of Mrs. M. Howard, and is inscribed : 

"In memory of Ann Martin, died March 4, 1878. 

** Loving Jesu, grant her eternal rest." 

The window of St. Joseph and St. Patrick was 
placed by Patrick Farrelly and wife to the memory 
of their son. At the base is : 

" In loving memory of Joseph Patrick Farrelly, 
died April 21, 1887. 

" In thy mercy, Jesu, spare him and all Christian 
souls." 

The emblem is the Sun of Justice. 

The executors of the late William Nelson Wood 
promptly carried out the trust reposed in them by 
putting in the window containing the figures of St. 
Paul of the Cross and St. Francis de Sales with the 



28o The Story of a Parish. 

emblem of a chalice and host. The deceased is 
commemorated in the following : 

"• Merciful Jesu, spare thy servant, William Nel- 
son Wood, who died full of peace and hope, April 
17, 1880." 

The gem, perhaps, of all is the St. Cecilia in the 
porch, whose donor is recalled by the following : 

'' May God have mercy on Margaret Whelan, 
died May 6, 1888." 

Her mother is remembered in the little window 
of St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland, with the words: 

'' In thy mercy, Jesu, grant rest and peace to 
Margaret Whelan." 

In St. Joseph's aisle, the west side of the Church, 
and over the confessional, are St. John and St. Vin- 
cent de Paul, with the emblem of a dove bearing 
an olive-branch in its beak. It is the gift of Pat- 
rick Welsh and wife, in memory of their son : * 

" To the memory of John V. Welsh, died Janu- 
ary II, 1883, aged ten years." 

With the passion-flower above is the window of 
St. Virgil, Bishop and Abbot of Saltzburg, and St. 
Brigid, of Ireland, bearing in hand the lighted lamp. 
This was erected by the Young Ladies' Sodality to 
the memory of Sister Gaudentia : 

^'Eternal rest grant, O Lord, to Sister Gaudentia. 
June II, 1884." 

The other to Father Henry 

^' Eternal rest, O Lord, grant to Rev. Arthur J. 
Henry. September 6, 1880." 



Children and Rosary Society. 281 

The Purgatory window is the gift of Bessie Car- 
roll and Bridget Quinn. The Sacred Heart of Jesus 
is emblazoned above the figures of St. Michael and 
Our Lady, Comfortress of the Afflicted. The in- 
scription reads : 

'' May the souls of the faithful departed, through 
the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen." 

The School Children, in 1887, raised the money 
to put in the window which represents Jesus bless- 
ing the little ones whom the mother brings to Him. 
The Gospel text recalls it : ^^ Suffer little children to 
come unto me. By the School Children, 1887.^* 
The symbol is a seraph. 

The Rosary Society contributed the money for the 
beautiful window which represents Our Lady and the 
Divine Infant presenting the Rosary to St. Dominic. 

The symbol is the dog, bearing the torch and a 
globe. The motive which inspired the Rosarians is 
embodied in the following : 

'^ To the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary. A 
loving tribute from the Rosary Society, 1887. Pray 
for us." 

Mrs. Ellen Eakely and her daughters perpetuate 
the memory of their relatives in the window which 
contains figures of St. Thomas, the Apostle, and St. 
Helena, with a cluster of grapes and wheat as emblems. 

" In loving memory of Thomas Degan, died No- 
vember 4, 1887. Ellen Degan, died January 16, 
1887. May they rest in peace." 

James Lonergan, in affectionate remembrance of his 



282 The Story of a Parish. 

parents, donated the window in which St. Leo the 
Great and St. Rose of Lima are represented. The 
emblem is the Lamb and Book of seven seals. The 
inscription is : 

^* Jesu, have mercy on James Lonergan, died Janu- 
ary I, 1876. Bridget Lonergan, died July 19, 1873." 

The statues of St. Joseph and the Blessed Mo- 
ther were given by the children. 

To worthily commemorate the twenty-jfirst birth- 
day of his son, J. Charles Farrelly, his father en- 
riched the Church with the exquisite Stations of the 
Cross. They are painted on copper by one of the 
first artists in Paris, and afterwards enamelled. They 
are from the art-rooms of Cabane, Paris. 

Miss Lizzie Daly presented the crystal candelabra 
on either side of the Sacred Heart Statue. 

The last expression of generosity to note are the 
holy-water stoups, in spotless marble, the gift of 
Mrs. P. Farrelly for her little daughter Mary Kate. 

Although the opportunity has not been given to 
all to mark their liberality in a conspicuous way, 
yet the monuments which the Catholics in Morris- 
town have raised to the glory of God tell in no un- 
certain tones of a Faith and a Charity without limit. 
The bounty of God has attended this generosity. 
He has blessed the soil in which our fathers sowed 
the seed of faith. 

Strange as it may appear, there was not in the 
Diocese of Newark a single monument to perpetu- 
ate the memory of its first Bishop. This, coupled 



Archbishop Bayley's Memorial, 283 

with the fact that the early efforts of Bishop Bay- 
ley were devoted to the establishment of parish 
schools, and that Morristown was the first fruits of 
his zeal in this direction, impelled Dean Flynn to 
request Bishop Wigger's permission to call the 
School after this venerated prelate. This was unhesi- 
tatingly granted ; and thus the name of Bayley 
School and Hall, attached to the group of buildings 
on Madison Street, will keep fresh and alive in the 
present and future generations the memory of the 
good and great Archbishop Bayley. 

It may not be amiss to call attention to the fruits 
of the Catholic School here, and to note the names 
of those who have devoted themselves to the ser- 
vice of God as Sisters in different religious Commu- 
nities, or the Levites who hope one day to share 
the priesthood of Christ : Sister Mary John Roache 
upwards of thirty years ago abandoned home and 
friends to consecrate her life as a Sister of Mercy, 
in the sterile field of Bishop Byrne's Diocese of Lit- 
tle Rock, Arkansas ; Sister Mary Louise Burke, Sis- 
ter Sarah Burke, Sister Severina Burke, the daughters 
of our venerable pioneer Thomas Burke ; Sister 
Eusebia Baxter ; Sister Rose Roache ; Sister Murilla 
Mansfield ; Sister Marguerite Ryan ; Sister Gaudentia 
Mulhall ; Sister Agnes Madeleine Daly ; Sister Jovita 
Cody, and Sister Paulita Morrissey, all of whom en- 
tered the Community of the Sisters of Charity whose 
Mother-house is at Madison, N. J. Some of them 
have been called to their reward ; and the remainder 



284 The Story of a Parish. 

continue to exercise the duties of their vocation, 
instructing the Httle ones of Christ's fold unto jus- 
tice, or ministering to the sick and afflicted. 

Sister Walburga Buckley and Sister Sheridan have 
consecrated their lives to the Negro and Indian 
Missions in the Franciscan Sisterhood. 

Within less than two years James Mulhall, now 
in the Diocesan Seminary of the Immaculate Con- 
ception, South Orange, N. J., if it please God, will 
be ordained priest, and will add new joy to our 
parish and another jewel to our crown. 

At St. Charles's College, EUicott City, Md., two 
of the pupils of the Bayley School, children of this 
parish. Masters William Dunn and William Kelly, 
are pursuing their classical studies, and, it is to be 
hoped, will persevere in their lofty and laudable desire. 

The great works, not strictly within the scope of 
parish efforts, but important auxiliaries to its influ- 
ence for good, have been marked with exceptional 
success. 

The St. Mary's Young Men's Catholic Association 
has at present one hundred members. The average 
annual receipts during the ten years have been three 
thousand dollars, or a gross sum of thirty thousand 
dollars. 

St. Columbanus Council, No. 40, Catholic Ben- 
evolent Legion, has a membership of one hun- 
dred and eleven. Since the date of its organization, 
October i, 1883, to December i, 1891, its members 
have paid to the Benefit fund $23,909.02, and to the 



A Catholic Mayor. 285 

General fund $1,597.25 — a total of $23,687.27. The 
families of its deceased members have received as 
benefits $19,000. 

When the new Catholic Church was building, one 
of the parish school-boys began life literally at the 
foot of the ladder. From mason's helper his ambi- 
tion has led him higher and higher, until now he is 
at the head of one of the leading firms of builders, 
and at present Thomas Malley fills the honorable 
position of Mayor of Morristown. 

It may be well to supply an unintentional omis- 
sion, when treating of the erection of the Bayley 
School, to state that the entire cost was $24,820.30, 
and the steam plant which heats the School, Church, 
Rectory, and Sisters* House $4,316.27. The outlay 
for the new Rectory, erected on the site of the old 
Church, was $20,886.98. 

So may the good work go on ! May the blessings 
of the past be continued in the future ; may the 
success which has attended the efforts of the differ- 
ent pastors presage the glory which will redound to 
God and His Church — the happiness, both in this 
and the next world, the reward of this generous, 
edifying Congregation, and for other Rectors the 
consolation which has filled to overflowing the heart 
of the present Pastor ! 

If in the brief span of less than half a century 
the harvest has been so abundant, who can estimate 
or foresee what another decade or two of years will 
bring ? 



APPENDIX. 



APPENDIX 



FROM FATHER FARMER'S MARRIAGE 

REGISTER. 

Oct. 20< 1774. At Charlottenburg, New Jersey, Dominick Robert- 
son to Mary Catharine, daughter of Nicholas 
and Helena Mentzenbach ; witnesses, Humphrey 
Booth and Peter Welker. The nuptial blessing 
was given afterwards at Mass. 

The same day and place : Thomas Walsh to 
Catharine Brown ; witnesses, Hugh Ouigan and 
William Graty. 

The same day and place : Mathias Bender to 
Abigail Parmer; witnesses, the bride's parents. 

Oct. 24, 1774. At Mount Hope, New Jersey, after dispensatioii, 
John Dirk to Hannah Alleton ; witnesses, An- 
thony Schumers, Peter Welker, and Anna Catha- 
rine Zech. 

May 12, 1777. At Mount Hope, Peter Joseph Grips to Mary 
Krauskopf ; witnesses, James Welker and James 
Demuth. 
On the same occasion, William Meighan to Eliza- 
beth Tate ; witnesses, Thomas Poor and Edmund 
Darmothy. 

Apl. 30, 1782. At Charlottenburg, New Jersey, Anthony Marian 
to Anna Mary Mentzenbach ; witnesses, Martin 
Bachman, Francis Zech, and others. The bless- 
ing was given at Mass. 

288 



Appendix, 289 



Oct. 20, 1783. At Mount Hope, in Morris County, New Jersey, 
Adam Bischoff to Margaret Krauskopf ; witnesses, 
Simon Honig and Catharine Sig. 

Oct. 24, 1783. At Charlottenburg, N. J., Peter Dunnel to Eliza- 
beth Seeholtzer ; witnesses, John Schmidt and 
Catharine Wittiger. 

Oct. 24, 1785. Near Mount Hope Furnace, in Morris County, 
New Jersey, Thomas Flanagan to Ann Grey, 
widow; witnesses, Henry Hager and Christina 
Emick. 



BAPTISMS ADMINISTERED BY THE REV. 
FATHER FARMER, S.J. 

Oct. 21, 1762. Mary, of Michael and Mary Connor, born Au- 
gust 13, baptized; Susannah Kearnney, sponsor. 

Oct. 23, 1768. Mary Darmoty, of Edward and Esther, born July 
21, 1765 ; Alexander McConahy and Mary Eliza- 
beth Halter, sponsors, at Charlottenburg, N. J. 

Barnabas Darmoty, of same parents, born May 
10, 1767; sponsors, Patrick Burke and Mary 
Catharine Kramer. Same place. 

Matthew Demuth, of James and Ann Catharine 
Demuth, born September lo; sponsors, Matthew 
Kramer and Juliana Miriam. 

Elizabeth Scholtzer, of Martin and Susan Scholtzer, 
born January 19; baptized conditionally; had 
been baptized by Nicholas Scholtzer, an intelli- 
gent man, his wife being witness, living at Char- 
lottenburg, N. J., ceremonies being afterwards 
supplied. 



290 Appendix, 



Apl. 15, 1769. Bachman, Mary Barbara, of Martin and Anna 
Barbara Bachman, born April 16 ; sponsors, 
Nicholas Jungfleisch and Barbara Her — , at 
Charlottenburg-, N. J. 

Apl. 29, 1770. George Brown, of John and Mary Brown, born 
November — , 1765 ; sponsors, William Fitzgerald 
and Catherine Fowler. Same place. 
John Rice, of James and Esther Rice, born Novem- 
ber 30, 1769; sponsors, Thomas Rice and Eliza- 
beth Campbel. Same place. 
Mary Margaret Sutton, of William and Anna Sutton, 
born December 26, 1769; sponsors, Margaret 
Engelhardt and Henry Glas. Same place. 

Nov, 21, 1770. Mary Magdalen Schot, of Philip and Mary Schot, 
born September 30 ; sponsors, Martin Bachman 
and Magdalen Welker. Same place. 
Anna Barbara Cobole, of Daniel and Mary Ann 
Cobole, born September 5 ; sponsors, Bartholo- 
mew Cobole and Catherine Welker. Same place. 

Nov. 22, 1770. Anna Eva Kean, of William and Eleanor Kean, 
born June — ; sponsors, James Brown and Eva 
Jungfleisch. Same place. 

Nov. 25, 1770. Anthony James Butz, of Christian and Catherine 
Butz, born November 22 ; sponsors, Anthony 
Schumers and Barbara Bachman. Same place. 

Apl. 20, 1 77 1. Margaret Brown, of James and Grace Brown, born 
March 27 ; sponsors James Brown and Grace 
McDead. Same place. 

Apl. 21, 1771. Elizabeth Harris, of Samuel Harris and Joice, 

born March 31, 1767; sponsors, Philip McDead 
and Grace Brown. Same place. 
Samuel Harris, of same parents, born May 9, 1769 ; 
sponsors, Philip McDead and Grace Brown. 
Same place. 
Mary Ann Barr, of George and Catherine Barr, born 



Appendix, 291 



December 23, 1770; sponsors, Hugh Dougherty 
and Margaret Englehardt. Same place. 

Oct. 26, 1 77 1. Scholtzer, of Martin and Elizabeth Scholtzer, born 
October 22 ; sponsors, Nicholas and Elizabeth 
Halter. Same place. 
Anna Elizabeth Reider, of Francis Joseph and Anna 
Mar}^ Reider, born May 1 8 ; sponsors, Joseph Win- 
gart and Anna Elizabeth Marian. Same place. 

May 28, 1772. Francis Anthony Bachman, of Martin and Anna 
Barbara Bachman, born April 20 ; sponsors, 
Francis Anthony and Anna Catherine Zech. 
Same place. 
Martha Burns, of Laughlin and Mary Burns, born 
November 8, 1771 ; sponsors, James Marniny and 
Eleanor Callaghan. Same place. 

Nov. 20, 1772. Anthony Schott, of Philip and Catherine Schott, 
born August 30 ; sponsors, Anthony Schumers 
and Catherine Demuth. Same place. 

Oct. 13, 1774. John Wingart, of Joseph and Anna Elizabeth 
Wingart, born August 15 ; sponsors, James and 
Anna Catherine Demuth, in Morris County. 

Oct. 23, 1774. John Power, of Thomas and Susanna Power, born 
August 28, 1773; sponsors, Peter Boyle and 
Sarah Christy, at Mount Hope. 
John James Oils, of John and Ann Elizabeth Oils, 
born August 10; sponsors, John James Walker 
and Elizabeth Welsch. Same place. 

Oct. 24, 1774. Peter Kirk, of John Kirk and Joanna Alleton, born, 
June 4; sponsors, Peter Joseph and Anna Cathe- 
rine Grips. Same place. 
Joanna Kirk (Alleton), wife of John Kirk, adult; 
sponsor, Anna Catherine Zech. Same place. 

May 20, 1775. Francis Weber, of James and Anna Catherine 
Weber, born April 8 ; sponsors, Francis Anthony 
and Catherine Zech, in Morris County. 



292 Appendix. 



May 21, 1775. Philip Brown, of James and Grace Brown, born 
February 17; sponsors, William Halfpeny and 
Mary Pickets. Same place. 

Sig, Frederick, of John George (P.) * and Geitrude 
Sig, born April 4 ; sponsor, Peter Grips ; Fred- 
eric Bohm witness. Same place. 

James Wider, of Joseph and ^Margaret Wider, born 
February — ; sponsors, James and Anna Catherine 
Demuth. Same place. 

Darmoty, Edward, of Edward and Esther Darmoty, 
born February 1 1 ; sponsors, Peter Joseph Grips 
and Hannah Dirk. Same place. 

Peter Keiner, of and Christiana (P.) Keiner, 

born February 2, 1774; sponsors, Peter Joseph 
Grips and Anna Elizabeth Oils. Same place. 

May 23, 1775. Anna Price, of Thomas and Catherine Price, born 
March 13; sponsor, Sarah Christe ; Adam Mail- 
gan, witness ; at Charlottenburg. 

IMay 24, 1775. William Par, of Sophornia and Catherine Par, born 
March 19; sponsor, Anna Mary Merzbach ; Ed- 
w^ard Magill, witness. Same place. 

May 25, 1775. Anna Catherine Schot, of Philip and Mary Cathe- 
rine Schot, born December i, 1774; sponsors, 
Daniel Cobole and Mary Anna Quinx (for Cathe- 
rine Cobole). 
Mary Margaret Marchler, of John and Mary Anna 
Mercler, born February 12; sponsors, Dominic 
Andler and Mary Schot. Same place. 

May 31, 1775. Margaret Connelly, of James and Margaret Con- 
nelly, born May 26 ; sponsor, Francis Dealy ; 
Margaret Brown, witness ; at Mount Hope. 

Oct. 18, 1775. Mary Catherine Stecher, of Joseph and Anna 
Stecher, born August 16; sponsors, William 

* Protestant. One parent a Catholic. 



Appendix. 293 



Grafty and Mrs. Mary Mantzenbach ; at Chariot - 
tenburg. 
Helen Bachman, of Martin and Anna Barbara 
Bachman, born September 1 1 ; sponsors, Nicho- 
las Mentzenbach, Joseph and Helen Wingart. 
Same place. 
Mary Anna Cobole, of Daniel and Mary Anna Co- 
bole, born July 26 ; sponsors, Peter Wilkes and 
Elizabeth Welsh (for Mary Ann, wife of Bartho- 
lomew Cobole). 
Oct. 20, 1775. Anna Robertson, of Dominic and Mary Catharine 
Robertson, born July — ; ceremonies supplied. 
Same place. 
May 5, 1776. Dealy, Mary, of James and Esther Dealy, born Au- 
gust 9, 1772; sponsors, Thomas and Magdalen 
Price ; at Mount Hope. 
John William Schaffer, of George and Jeannette 
Schaffer, born August 9, 1775 ; sponsors, Richard 
and Mary Murphy. Same place. 
Anna Margaret, of Bernard and Mary Dorothy 
Reuschmid, born April 9 ; sponsors, Francis 
Zech and Margaret Englehard. Same place. 
Charles Whetcock, of Richard and Mary (Brown) 
Whetcock, born February 18; sponsors, Caspar 
Englehard and Grace Brown. Same place. 
Mary Welsh, of Thomas and Catherine Welsh, 
born December 21, 1775 ; sponsors, Hugh Quigg 
and Anna Catherine Demuth. Same place. 
Caspar Holtzhaser, of Sebastian and Joanna Holtz 
baser, born April 2 ; sponsors, Caspar and Mar- 
garet Englehard. Same place. 
Apl. 26, 1776. Henry Kean, of William and Elenor Kean, born 
December 17, 1775; sponsors, Joseph and Anna 
Elizabeth Wingart ; in Morris County. 
Apl. 28, 1776. William Kelly, of Luke and Margaret Kelly, born 



294 Appendix, 

June 13, 1770; sponsors, James Maruny and 
Johannah McDonald ; at Charlottenburg. 

Oct. 20, 1776. Mary Wattcock, of Richard and Mary Wattcock, 
born September 12, 1768; sponsors, John Burk 
and Margaret Kelly ; at Mount Hope. 
Esther Dealy, of James and Esther Dealy, born 
August 15; sponsors, Edward D. Dormoty and 
Catherine Welsh. Same place. 
Richard Wattcock, of Richard and Mary Wattcock, 
born September 20, 1773 ; sponsors, John and 
Margaret Viche. Same place. 
James Kramer, of William and Patience Kramer, 
born January 18; sponsors, James and Grace 
Brown. Same place, 
Mary Welsh, of William and Elizabeth Welsh, born 
April 2 ; sponsors, Caspar and Margaret Engle- 
hard. Same place. 
Power, Lucy, of Thomas and Susanna Power, born 
June 28 ; sponsors, Francis Dealy and Margaret 
Englehard. Same place. 
Anna Mary Gertrude Hayman and John George, 
twins, of John and Susanna Hayman, born July 7 
and July 8; sponsors, John Antler and Gertrude 
Sig for the former, John George Sig and Anna 
Catherine Demuth for the latter. 

Oct. 21, 1776. Robert Philipps, of John and Mary Philipps, born 
August 19; sponsors, Caspar and Margaret En- 
glehard. Same place. 

Oct. 22, 1776. Sarah Brawer Stuart, wife of John Stuart ; sponsor, 
Catherine Robertson ; at Charlottenburg. 
John Stuart, of John and Sarah Stuart, born Sep- 
tember 9 ; sponsors, Joseph Wingart and Anna 
Mentzenbach. Same place. 

Oct. 23, 1776. Julianna Wingart, of Joseph and Elizabeth Win- 
gart, born July 19 , ceremony supplied ; witnesses 



Appendix, 295 



Daniel Cobole and Anna Mary Reider. Sanae 
place. 
Joseph Marian, of Herbert and Anna Mary Marian, 
born October 22 ; sponsors, Joseph Wingart and 
Catherine Schott. Same place. 

Oct. 24, 1776. David Schop, of Philip and Mary Eva Schop, born 
June 27 ; sponsors, David Fichter and Mary 
Looisa Schop. Same place. 

May 7, 1777. Joseph Gordon, of Hugh and Margaret Gordon, born 
December 20, 1776; sponsor, Joseph Stecher ; at 
Charlottenburg. 

May 8, 1777. Lawrence Stecher, of Joseph and Anna Stecher, 
born January 16 ; sponsor, Martin Bachman. 
Same place. 

Ferdinand Bachman, of Martin and Anna Bar- 
bara Bachman, born May 2 ; ceremonies supplied ; 
sponsors, John Cobole and Anna Eva Jungfleisch. 
Same place. 

Mary Anna Zech, of Francis Anthony and Anna 
Catherine Zech, born November 27 ; ceremony 
supplied ; sponsors, Joseph Wongart and Mary 
Anna Cobole. Same place. 

Sept. 27, 1778. Helen Sig, of John George and Gertrude Sig, born 

November 4, 1777; sponsors, Francis Zech and 

Magdalen Welker (for Helen Menzebach) ; at 

Mount Hope. 
Anna Mary Power, of Thomas and Susanna Power, 

born June 24 ; sponsors, Edward Darmoty and 

Mary Grinder. Same place. 
Margaret Weber, of James and Anna Catherine 

Weber, born July 24 ; sponsor Margaret Engle- 

hard. Same place. 
Philip Fechter, of David and Johanna Fechter, 

born September 11, 1777; sponsors, Louis Her- 



296 Appendix, 

man (for Philip Schup) and Catherine Zech. 
Same place. 
Peter Joseph Holzheber, of Sebastian and Johanna 
Holzheber, born May 2 ; sponsors, Peter Joseph 
and Mary Grips. Same place. 

Sept. 29, 1778. Anna Mary Schup, Philip and Mary Eva Schup, 
born March 27 ; sponsors, Jacob Fechter and 
Anna Mary Mentzenbach ; at Charlottenburg. 

Sept. 30,1778. Henry Marian, of Hurbert and Mary Marian, 

born JulyT8; sponsors, Martin Bachman and 

Barbara Welker. Same place. 
Catharine Cobole, of Daniel and Mary Anna Cobole, 

born September 29, 1777; ceremony supplied; 

sponsors, Francis Zech and Catharine Coblin. 

Same place. 
Mary Barbara Seeholtzer, of Martin and Elizabeth 

Seeholtzer, born July 28; ceremony supplied; 

sponsors, Daniel Cobole and Barbara Welker. 

Same place. 

Oct. 6, 1778. Anna EUzabeth Schag, of John George and Jean- 
netta Schaga, born September 2 ; sponsors, 
James Welker and Gertrude Sig; at Mount Hope. 

Apl. 22, 1779. Benjamin Sheal, of John and Anna Sheal, born 
December 19, 1776; sponsors, Francis and Cathe- 
rine Zech; at ]\Iount Hope. 
Sarah Sheal, of same parents, born February 25; 
sponsors, Caspar and Margaret Engelhard. 
Same place. 

May 2, 1779. Anna Catherine Wider, of Joseph and Margaret 
Wider, born October 18, 1778; sponsors, Francis 
and Catharine Zech. Same place. 
John James Zech, of Francis and Catharine Zech, 
born January 13; sponsors, James Welker and 
Eva Jungfleisch. Same p^ace. 



Appendix. 297 

Elizabeth Grips, of Peter Joseph and Mary Grips, 
born January 17 ; sponsors, John and Hanora 
Turk. Same place. 
June 4, 1780. Margaret Holtzhafer, of Sebastuan and Johanna 
Holtzhafer, born April 25 ; sponsors, Caspar and 
Margaret Engelhard ; at Mount Hope. 

Henry Schup, of Philip and Mary Eva Schup, born 
May 12; sponsors, David and Johanna Fichter; 
in vicinity of Charlottenburg. 

Rosanna Hason, of Felix and Margaret Hason, born 
May 24, 1778; sponsor, the child's mother (for 
Mary Mentzenbach). Same place. 
May 24, 1 78 1. Anna Mary Marian, of Hurbert and Mary Marian, 
born April 8 ; sponsors, John Aussom and Helen 
Mentzenbach ; at Charlottenburg. 

John Stephen Aussom, born December 25, 1765; 
Eva Clarissa, born March 31, 1769; Joseph, born 
February 28, 1773, children of John and Elizabeth 
Aussom, baptized conditionally May 24 ; sponsor, 
Joseph Wingart ; at Pompton. 

Catharine Osterhout, of and Elizabeth Oster- 

hout, born March 12, 1774; baptized condition- 
ally ; sponsor, Joseph Wingart. Same place. 

Elizabeth Osterhout, adult ; sponsor, Elizabeth 
Aussom. Same place. 

, Peter, a negro boy, about seven years old ; 

sponsor, Joseph Wingart. 
May 27, 1781. James Fichter, of David and Johanna Fichter, 
born November 15, 1780; sponsors, James Fichter 
and Eva Brady ; at Mount Hope. 

Francis Anthony Grips, of Peter Joseph and Mary 
Grips, born November 27, 1780; sponsors, Fran- 
cis Anthony Zech and Margaret Engelhart. Same 
place. 
May 26, 1 78 1. Christopher Sig, of George and Gertrude Sig, born 



298 Appendix. 



December 5, 1780; sponsors, Francis Anthony 
Zech (for Christopher Thomer) and Anna Catha- 
rine Zech. Same place. 

Sept. 28, 1 78 1. Joseph Bachman, of Martin and Anna Barbara 
Bachman, born June 14 ; sponsors, the priest and 
Anna Mary Menzebach ; at Mount Hope. 

Oct. 14, 1781. John Bernard Zech, of Francis Anthony and Anna 
Catherine Zech, born September 19; sponsors, 
^ John and Anna Mary Grinter ; at Mount Hope. 

John Sheal, of John and Anna Sheal, born August 
20; sponsors, Peter Joseph and Mary Grips. 
Same place, 

Oct. II, 1781. Amos Haycock, of Daniel and Catherine Haycock, 
born April 26, 1774; sponsor, Hurbert Marian ; 
at Pompton. 
Abigail Haycock, of same parents, born April, 
1779; sponsors, John Aussom and Anna Eliza- 
beth Wingart. Same place. 
Elizabeth Haycock, same parents, born February, 
1781 ; sponsor, Elizabeth Aussom. Same place. 



MARRIAGES 

Performed by the Rev. Dr. Johnes and other Min- 
isters OF THE First Presbyterian Church. 
(Copied from the Record.) 

Jan. 5, 1763. Solloman Boyle to Sarah Ailing. 
Sept. II, 1763. John Cooper to Magdalen Boyle. 
Nov. 3, 1763. Jacob Frazee to Elizabeth McFeran. 
May II, 1766. John Leferty to Elizabeth Johnes. 
Sept. 19, 1774. John Crane to Mary O'Hara. 
Apl. 6, 1776. John Knowland to Mary Curtain. 



Appendix. 299 



May 


26, 


Feb. 


6, 


April 


i5» 


July 


10, 


Oct. 


21, 


Dec. 


3. 


Aug. 


29' 


Jan. 


31. 


Mar. 


6, 



1776. Hugh McConnell to Susannah Dalrympel. 

1777. Will McCormick, soldier, to Dramer Cramer. 
1777. William Rogan, soldier, to Sarah Greer. 

1777. James Gardiner, soldier, to Nance Burn. 

1778. John Kenne to Phebe Arnold. 

1778. George Thorborn to Nancy Kenny, late Nancy 
McGovern. 

1779. Jacob Doran to Mary Dun. 

1780. Christopher Breackin to Mary Briant. 
1780. Lawrence Brennan, serg't 7 Mary'd Reg't, to 

Catharine Clancy, of ye i Mor. Brigade. 
Mar. 22, 1780. James Right to Jane Woodrough, of Capt. Har- 
mon Stout's loPenna. Reg't. 
Apl. 5, 1780. Griffith Davis to Sarah Conway, both of the Army. 
Apl. 9, 1780. Michael Connor to Sarah Hamilton. 
May II, 1780. Allan McLane to Mary Robins. 

14, 1780. John McCarroll, a soldier of the 10 Penna. Reg't, 

to Kezia Clark. 
20, 1780. Thomas Brown, a soldier, to Elizabeth Nicholson. 

20, 1780. Patrick Rogers and Peggy Brien, Camp folks. 

21, 1780. Elijah Pollock, a soldier, and Catharine Grear, 

Camp folks. 
24, *' Matthew Dorham, a soldier, and Mary Davis, from 

the Camp. 
July 28, " William McMullen, a soldier, and Jemima 

Guirin. 
Aug. 12, " John Smith, waggoner, and Margaret Wilson, 

Camp woman. 
Jan. 24, 1782. John Bolton, a soldier, 2nd Jersey Reg't, Jonathan 

Holmes Captain, and Catharine Devins. 
July 7, " George Kelle and Annie Ward, a widow. 
Mar. 24, 1783. William Dennine and Margaret Templeton. 
May 9, 1784. Daniel Skelly and Catharine Headley. 
Jan. 10, 1790. John Brian and Mary Howell. 



300 



Appendix. 



BILL OF MORTALITY 

Taken from the Records of the First Presbyte- 
rian Church, Morristown, N. J. 



June 


I, 


1770. 


Oct. 




(( 


Mar. 


4, 


1782. 


Aug. 


24, 


1784. 


Nov. 


25. 


n 


June 


14, 


1785. 


July 


26, 


<< 


Aug. 


16, 


<< 




15, 


1789. 


July 


I, 


I79I. 


Mar. 


28, 


1793. 


Oct. 


18, 


1794. 


Feb. 


7, 


1796. 


Dec. 


3. 


(( 


June 


19. 


1798. 




29» 


1799- 


April 


4, 


1800, 


March 7, 


1801. 


Jan. 


2, 


1803. 




24, 


1805. 


Oct. 


9» 


<< 




28, 


it 




26, 


1806. 


Nov. 


12, 


<< 


June 


I, 


1808. 
1809. 



Buried child of James Kearney. 
'' " Patrick McGill. 
** ** ** Thomas Kane, aged 8. 

"• Daniel Brady, aged 40. 

'' child of Hubert Duburk. 

" son ** Michael Conner, aged 2. 
*^ ** ^* James Smith. 

** child of Peter Carn. 

" daughter of John Powers, aged 20. 

" Sophia Burke, aged 23. 

** Margaret, v^ife of Thomas Cody, aged 23. 

" Sarah, daughter of Edward Cerey, aged 21. 

" James O'Hara, consumption, aged 36. 

" child of Patrick Caunnel. 

" Rachel, wife of Francis McCarty. 

'* George Kelly, aged 60. 

** John O'Neil, aged 65. 

** Michael Connor, aged 49. 

" Antoinette Regnaudot, aged 26. 

** Mons. Delisle Dupres, aged 38. 

" Cassar Dumaine Cachet, aged 25. 

" Louise Dovillard Vanschalkwick. 

" Vincent Boisaubin Beauplan, aged 33. 

" George O'Hara, aged 53 (keeper of hotel). 

'* Nicholas Comissau. 

" William Delaplaine, aged 50. 

" Miriam Comesau, aged 80. 



Appendix, 



301 



NUMBER OF MARRIAGES 

Administered in St. Vincent's Church, Madison, and 
IN THE Church of the Assumption, Morristown, 

AS APPEARS on THE RECORDS OF BOTH CHURCHES. 

The Figures indicate those who belonged to 
THE Morristown Parish. 



1 841. I Marriage (at Madison). 1868. 22 Marriages(Morristown) 


1842.* 


1869. 18 






1843. I 


1870. 22 






1844.* 


1871. 23 






1845.* 


1872. 14 






1846.* 3 


1873. 7 






1847.* 6 


1874. 16 






1848.* 5 


1875. 19 






1849.* 3 " 


1876. 10 






1850.* 6 


1877. 14 






1851.* 4 


1878. 5 






1852 (No Record for 4 years.) 1879. 15 






1856. 6 Marriages(Morristown).i88o. 9 






1857. 27 


1881. 27 






1858. 9 


1882. 14 






1859. 12 


1883. 14 






i860. 12 " 


1884. 7 






i86j. 15 


1885. 15 






1862. II " 


1886. 17 






1863. 6 


1887. 14 






1864. 9 


1888. 16 






1865. 12 


1889. 20 






1866, 8 


' 1890. 27 * 






1867. 12 


1891. 18 







* These years are not absolutely accurate, as the locality has not been 
specified on the Register. 



302 Appendix, 



NUMBER OF BAPTISMS 

Administered in St. Vincent's Church, Madison, and 
IN THE Church of the Assumption, Morristown, 
as appears on the records of both churches. 
The Figures indicate those who belonged to 
THE Morristown Parish. 

1841. 10 Baptisms (Madison Ch.) 1847. 14 Baptisms (Madison Ch.) 

1842. 5 '* " 1848. 12 " 

1843. 8 '* " 1849. 5 

1844. 12 " " 1850.* 

1844. 7 by Rev. I. P. Howell. i85i.*i4 

1845. 2 Baptisms (Madison Ch.) 1852.* 17 

1846. 15 *' ** 1855. No record for 3 years) 

All the Baptisms that follow were administered in Morris- 
town Church. 



1856. 10 B; 


aptisms. 


1874. 


72 


Baptisms< 


1857. 65 


<< 


1875. 


76 


n 


1858. 81 


<< 


1876. 


75 


<( 


1859. 47 


(< 


1877. 


64 


i< 


i860. 51 


a 


1878. 


62 


<( 


1861. 76 


n 


1879. 


60 


ii 


1862. 55 


ti 


1880. 


62 


il 


1863. 52 


a 


I88I. 


51 


a 


1864. 44 


n 


1882. 


77 


n 


1865. 41 


t< 


1883. 


59 


it 


1866. 56 


(t 


1884. 


58 


li 


1867. 41 


n 


1885. 


66 


t( 


1868. 78 


ti 


1886. 


84 


(( 


1869. 90 


i( 


1887. 


61 


It 


1870. 66 


<< 


1888. 


77 


It 


1871. 80 


<( 


1889. 


S7 


ti 


1872. 86 


a 


1890. 


87 


ft 


1873. 63 


(< 


I89I. 


89 


(t 



Appendix, 



303 



SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, 



Pew Rents. 



1856. 
1857. 
1867. 



1869. 
1870. 
1871. 
1872. 

1873. 
1874. 

1875. 
1876. 

1877. 
1878. 

1879. 
1880. 
1881. 
1882. 
1883. 
1884. 
1885. 
1886. 
1887. 
1888. 
1889. 
1890. 
189I. 



$303.67 
319.00 
801.89 
800.93 

759.56 
1,116.54 

813.56 
3,031.12 

3410.75 
3,295.00 
3.184.25 
2,773.17 
2,311.95 
2,279.00 
2,143.00 
2,361.77 
2,571.50 
2,827.45 

3.507.59 
3,462.07 

3,532.08 
4,388.73 

5.035.15 
5.258.40 

6,493.70 

6,569.88 



Offertory. 

$21.95 

37.75 
86.61 

234.44 
208.79 

314.65 
458.71 

574.38 
1,178.89 
1.533.22 

1.458.53 
1,302.74 
1,170.34 

I.397.13 
1,449.42 

1.379.99 
1,789.75 

1,843.80 

2,202.79 

2,703.46 

2,768.40 

3.327.93 
3,206.83 
3,172.15 
2,836.57 

2,343.52 
2,188.39 



Picnics and Fairs. 



Diocesan 
Contributions. 



U,090, 

660 

1,010 

1,125. 

930 
712 

1.325 
1,034 
1,100 

779 
730 
467. 
663. 
670, 

729 
921 



538. 
261 
320 

173 



.63 
.65 

.65 

■25 
65 

.00 
.00 
.00 
.00 
.00 
42 
00 
02 
00 

•39 
34 
63 
92 
92 

65 
21 



$2,122.00 (Fair) 
1,021.00 (Fair) 
1,109.00 (Fair) 



1,089.05 (Fair) 
2,619.10 (Fair) 
2,731.51 (Fair) 



1,939.10 (Bazar) 
2,174.53 



$300.00 
262.00 
261.00 
248.00 

83.00 
45.00 
95.00 
93.12 
41.00 
80.00 
40.00 
54.00 
200.00 

305.00 
283.00 
438.00 

474.74 
420.00 
440.50 
289.78 

693.59 
418.92 



304 



Appendix, 



VARIOUS SUBSCRIPTIONS. 



NAMES OF SUBSCRIBERS AND AMOUNT OF SUB- 
SCRIPTIONS TO THE NEW CHURCH IN 1872. 

The Temperance Society, $557.00 Daniel Coghlan, §500.00 
Claude M. Gignoux, §500.00 Gen. Joseph Revere, $450.00 

Augustus Louanstein, §200.00 



Ballentine, Joseph W. 
Baxter, Hugh, 
Collins, William, 
Cutler, Augustus W. 
Degan, Thomas, 
Dorney, Dennis, 



JSioo.oo. 

Gallagher, James, 
Holly, Cornelius, 
Kenny, Bartholomew, 
O'Brien, Martin, 
Rogers, Mrs. Julia, 
Ryan, WiUiam, 
Sheeran, Rev. J. 



Dempsey, Patrick, $90.00 Callahan, Jeremiah, $60.00 

Cassidy, Frank, §55.00. 



Burns, Thomas, 
Burke, Thomas W. 
Callahan, Patrick, 
Carr, John A. 
Carroll, Walter, 
Carroll, William, 
Castillon, Edward, 
Clifford, Thomas, 
Dacy, Michael, 
Dergen, David, 
Donahue, Patrick, 
Downey, Mrs., New York, 
Dunn, William, 
Dwyer, William, 
Geoghegan, William W. 
Hogan, Mrs. 



$50.00. 

Hughes, Thomas, 
Lonergan, James, 
Lonergan, James, 
McNeil, James, 
McDermott, James, 
McEntee, Patrick, 
Meskill, Daniel, 
Mooney, William, 
Mulhall, Patrick, 
Murphy, Hugh, 
O'Toole, William, 
Smith, John, New Vernon, 
Tobin, John, 
Willman, Frederick, 
Walsh, William, 
Wall, Edmund. 



Appendix. 



305 



Beers, William H. 
Campbell, Michael, 
Martin, Bernard, 



Bayley, Andrew, 
Collins, Dennis, 
Cooney, Ellen, 
Cummings, D. 



^40.00. 

O'Keefe, Thomas, 
Rourke, James, 
York, Joseph. 

$30.00. 

McGrath, John, 
New York girls. 
Tankard, James, 
Timmens, James, 
Timmens, James. 
Collection by K. & W., $26.00 



Carroll, E. 
Cavanagh, Patrick, 
Collins, John D. 
Coyle, Henry, 
Cummings, Jennie, 
Cummings, Martin, 
Dowd, John, 
Doyle, John, 
Doyle, James, 
Duffy, John, 
Eakley, James, 
ElHot, Hugh, 
English, William, 
English, Dennis, 
Feely, James D. 
Gaffney, John, 
Gallagher, Mary, 
Goin, Timothy, 
Griffin, D. 
Hackett, Michael, 
Hackett, Patrick, 



Alexander, Gordon, 
Barry, Lizzie, 
Belby, John, 
Belby, Matthew, 
Burns, Hannah, 
Cahill, John, 



$25.00. 

Hannon, Patrick, 
Hughes, Thomas. 
Kain, Peter, 
Kane, Michael, 
Kenny, John J. 
Kenny, John J. 
Killkenny, Luke, 
McGuire, John, 
Malley, Peter, 
Manning, Mrs. 
Morris, John, 
Mulhall, J. 
Murphy, Martin, 
Naughton, John, 
O'Brien, Maggie A. 
Reilly, Julia, 
Rutledge, James, 
Sullivan, Agnes, 
Sweeney, Daniel, 
Vorholz, Frederick, 
Whitehead, Mr. 

$20.00. 

Holly, Patrick, 
Kelly, Bridget, 
Kelly, Peter, 
Keveling, Kate, 
Leech, Mary, 
Lane, Dennis, 



3o6 



Appendix, 



Cahill, James, 
Carlin, Bernard, 
Casey, Mary, 
Clancy, Margaret, 
Cogivan, Winifrid, 
Coleman, Patrick, 
Condon, Michael, 
Condon, Mrs. W., widow, 
Connors, Mrs., New York, 
Costigan, John, 
Cullen, Charles, 
Curley, Patrick, 
Dalton, Mary, 
Diver, Annie, 
Dolan, William, 
Donlin, Ellen, 
Doty, Mrs. 
Downey, James, 
Dowd, Bridget, 
Downey, James, 
Doyle, Margaret, 
Duggan, Mary, 
Ducey, John, 
Farrell, Andrew, 
Fay, James, 
Fennell, Mrs. 
Fitzgerald, Timothy, - 
Fitzgerald, Patrick, 
Foley, William, 
Foley, Jerem.iah, 
Gannon, Mrs. 
Gibbons, Marcella, 
Gowing, Edward, 
Griffin, Patrick, 
Hackett, Dennis, 
Hickey, WiUiam, 
Hickey, Patrick, 
Hifley, Lizzie, 
Hillock, Patrick, 
Hillock, John, 
Holly, William, 

White 
Murphy, 



Lonergan, John, 
Looney, Michael, 
Lowe, James, 
Lyons, James, 
McCabe, Margaret, 
McDonald, Mary, 
McGoldrick, Edward, 
McGrath,John, 
McGuire, William, 
McLaughlin, Mary, 
McNamara, James, 
McNulty, James, 
Malley, Mary, 
Mansfield, Kate, 
Markey, Laurence, 
Martin, James, 
Meskill, JuHa, 
Minogue, John, 
Mitchell, John, 
Moran, John, 
Morrissey, John, 
Morrisson, Bridget, 
Morrisson, Rebecca, 
Murray, John, 
Murray, Thomas H. 
Murphy, Dennis, 
Murphy, James, 
Murphy, Mary, 
O'Neil, JuHa, 
Owens, John, 
Prendergast, James, 
Quilty, Ann, 
Riley, Michael, 
Rutledge, Mary, 
Rutledge, Richard, 
Ryan, Patrick, 
Smith, Patrick, 
Wall, Ellen, 
Wall, Patrick, 
Walsh, William, 
Warner, Mrs. 

, Jeremiah. 

Kate, $17.00. 



Appendix. 



307 



Barry, Hannah, 
Burns, Mary, 
Cone, Patrick, 
Cummings, Philomena, 
Dowd, James, 
Gibbons, Ann, 
Gibbons, Mary, 
Goin, Patrick, 
Hackett, Joseph, 
Harty, Thomas, 
Horan, John, 
Kearney, Kate, 



Beehan, Thomas, 
Brady, AUce, 
Cahill, Ann, 
Cassion, Eliza, 
Cleary, Mike, 
Cody, John, 
Coffey, John, 
Coghivan, Michael, 
Coleman, Thomas, 
Cooney, Laurence, 
Cooney, John, 
Connell, Mike, 
Conners, Patrick, 
Conners, William, 
Conners, David, 
Crane, Thomas, 
Dacy, Margaret, 
Dempsey, Richard, 
Derry, Ellen, 
Divine, Annie, 
Dolan, Michael, 
Donlin, Eliza, 
Donlin, Maria, 
Donahue, Bridget, 
Donahue, Patrick, 



$15.00. 

Kelly, James, 
Kilday, Ellen, 
Knight, Mrs. 
Mahar, Mary, 
Manning, John, 
McGrath, Dennis, 
Minogue, Martin, 
Mitchell, Hannah, 
Moran, James J. 
Nailor, Roger, 
O'Donnell, Catharine, 
Quinn, Kate, 
School Children. 

Holly, James, $12.00. 

$10.00. 

Logan, Michael, 
Lonergan, Edw^ard, 
Lonergan, Thomas, 
Lonergan, Edward, 
McAvoy, Catharine, 
McCarthy, Michael, 
McDermott, Bridget, 
McDonald, Maggie, 
McGrath, Mrs. 
Mansfield, Catharine, 
Mansfield, Johanna, 
Mansfield, Thomas, 
Markey, Rose, 
Martin, Bernard, 
Mason, Thomas, 
Meskill, Mary, 
Morrissey, Morris, 
Morris, James, 
Murphy, Mrs. 
Murphy, John, 
Murphy, Mary, 
Murphy, Mrs. Margaret, 
Murphy, Joseph, 
Nolan, Mrs. 
Noonan, Ann, 



308 



Appendix. 



Dooney, Catharine, 
Dooney, Patrick, 
Dorney, John, 
Downey, Mary, 
Doyle, Ellen, 
Doyle, Patrick, 
Dunn, Kate, 
Duffy, Thomas, 
Edwards, Mrs. 
Fannelly, Elizabeth, 
Flanagan, Thomas, 
Fogarty, Charles, 
Gallagher, James, 
Geary, John, 
Gerder, Bertha, 
Gilrey, Susan, 
Gordon, Frank, 
Gowing, Nicholas, 
Hand, Mary, 
Harkins, Edward, 
Hogan, Ellen, 
Holly, John, 
Holton, Thomas, 
Johnson, Mary, 
Kain, Delia, 
Keating, Catharine, 
Keating, James, 
Keefe, Christopher, 
Keefe, Mary, 
Keefe, Kate, 
Keefe, William, 
Kelly, Patrick, 
Kelly, Frank, 
Kenny, Bernard, 
Kilkenny, Patrick, 
Leonard, Mary, 

Higgins, Bernard, %\ 



Brickley, John, 
Buckley, John, 



Noonan, Frank, 
Norris, Michael, 
Norris, Julia, 
Norris, Mary, 
O'Brien, Johanna, 
O'Brien, Patrick, 
O'Connor, Hannah, 
O'Keefe, Daniel, 
O'Toole, Jeremiah, 
Pentony, Thomas, 
Phelan, Edward, 
Pillion, Kieran, 
Potter, Bernard, 
Quirk, John, 
Roachford, Mrs. A. 
Robeson, Mrs. 
Ryan, Kate, 
Ryan, Ellen, 
Ryan, Bridget, 
Ryan, Patrick, 
Scally, Ann, 
Scanlin, Maurice, 
Scully, Mary, 
Sergeant, Maria, 
Sheehan, Bartholomew, 
Sharkey, Mary, 
Smith, Francis, 
Smith, Bridget, 
Stapleton, Ann, 
Sullivan, Daniel, 
Tallent, Henry, 
Wall, Johanna, 
Welsh, John Vincem, 
Whalen, Laurence, 
White, Edward, 
Wigger, Dr. 
Winn, Mary. 
;.oo O'Brien, Lizzie, $7.00 

McGrath, Mrs., $6.00 

$5.00. 

Murray, James, 
Murray, Michael, 



Appendix. 



309 



Cavanagh,William; 
Condon, James, 
Coyle, Michael, 
Cronan, Ellen, 
Donahue, Mrs. 
Doyle, Owen, 
Goodwin, Rore, 
Green, Michael, 
Griffin, William, 
Haffey, John, 
Kelly, Dennis, 
McDonnell, Jane, 
McNerney, Mary, 
Mansfield, Johanna, 
Martin, Bernard, 



Murphy, Catharine, 
Naughton, Thomas, 
Naughton, David, 
O'Neil, Peter, 
O'Neil, Margaret, 
O'Toole, Frank, 
O'Toole, John, 
O'Toole, Elizabeth, 
Roach, Johanna, 
Roman, John, 
Ruckert, Hieronymus, 
Sweeny, Mrs. 
Tailor, A. B. 
Walsh, John, 
Walsh, Michael. 



NAMES OF SUBSCRIBERS AND AMOUNT OF SUB- 
SCRIPTIONS TO THE NEW CHURCH IN 1875. 

Mr. Lercher, N. Y., $500.00 Mary A. Russell, $150.00 

Maurice Ahearn, N. Y., $230.00 Catharine Denny, $150.00 
Martin O'Brien, $110.00 



Coghlan, Mr. and Mrs. 
Degan, Thomas, 
Holly, Cornelius, 
Kenny, Bartholomew, 
King, Hugh, New York, 



Baxter, Hugh, 
Callahan, Jeremiah, 
Carroll, Walter, 
Dempsey, Richard, 
Donahue, Patrick, 
Kelly, Dennis, 
McAlpin, Mr. 



$100.00. 

Louanstein, Augustus, 
Louanstein, Mrs. 
Nugent, Mrs. 
Ryan, William, 
Sheeran, Rev. J. 

I50.00. 

Meskill, Daniel, 

Mulhall, Patrick, 

Murphy, Hugh, 

O'Shea, Mrs. P., New York, 

O'Toole, William, 

Sisters of Charity, 



Tobin, John, 
Wall, Edmund. 
Dwyer, William, $40.00 Dacey, Mr., $35.00 

Keefe, Thomas, $40.00 Mulhall, Jeremiah, $35.00 

Murphy, Martin, $35.00 



310 



Appendix. 



Carr, John A. 
Cavanagh, Patrick, 
Lonergan, James, 



Alexander, Gordon, 
Arnold Brothers, 
Cassidy, Frank, 
Caughlin, Michael, 
Coyle, Henry, 
Darney, Dennis, 
Doyle, James, 
Doyle, John, 
Dunn, William, 
Feeley, James D. 
English, William, 



Belby, Matthew, 
Belby, John, 
Burns, James, 
Cahill, James, 
Carlen, Bernard, 
Casey, Mary, 
Curley, Patrick, 
Dempsey, Ellen, 
Donlen, Maurice, 
Doyle, Patrick, 
Geoghegan, Mrs. 
Gibbons, Marcella, 
Griffin, Patrick, 
Hogan, Mrs. 
Kilkenny, Luke, 
Levins, Annie, 



Burns, Hannah, 
Cahill, John, 
Carroll, William, 
Condon, James, 



$30.00. 

Lowe, James, 
Mooney, William, 
Walsh, William. 

$25.00. 

Griffin, Dennis, 
Hackett, Margaret, 
Kain, Peter, 
Lane, Dennis, 
McDermott, James, 
McGuire, John, 
Martin, Bernard, 
O'Brien, Maggie A, 
Sullivan, Agnes, 
Sweeney, Daniel, 
Willman, Frederick. 

$20.00. 

Looney, Mr. 
McGrath, John, 
Markey, Laurence, 
Martin, James, 
Meskill, Julia, 
Morrissey, John, 
Morrisson, Bridget, 
Murphy, James, 
O'Melia, Mary, 
Quilty, Ann, 
Quinlan, Ellen, 
Smith, Patrick, 
Smith, John, 
Sullivan, Dennis, 
Tallent, Mrs. 
White, Jeremiah, 

O'Toole, William, $16.00 

$15.00. 

McKernan, Bessie, 
Martin, Bernard, 
Murphy, Andrew, 
Nailor, Roger, 



Appendix. 



311 



Cummings, B. 
Doyle, Mrs. P. 
Geary, John, 
Hannon, Patrick, 
Kilday, Ellen, 
McEntee, William, 



Reilly, Mrs., New York, 
Rutledge, Richard, 
Rutledge, James, 
Ryan, Patrick, 
Scally, Ellen, 
Tallent, Henry. 



Burns, Mary, $12.00 McDermott, Susan, $12.00 

Parker, Ellen, $12.00 



Burke, Delia, 
Burke, Ellen, 
Burke, William, 
Carroll, Edward, 
Clancy, Margaret, 
Coffey, John, 
Cogivan, Mary, 
Coleman, Thomas, 
Condon, Mrs. W. 
Cone, Patrick, 
Cooney, Laurence, 
Cummings, D. 
Donnelly, Elizabeth, 
Dowd, Bridget, 
Downey, John, 
Ducey, John, 
Doyle, Ellen, 
Doyle, Patrick, 
Drake, WilHam, 
Duffey, John, 
Dugan, Mary, 
Dunn, Mary, 
Farrell, Bridget, 
Foley, William, 
Foley, John, 
Gallagher, James, 
Gilsey, Susan, 
Glanville, Julia, 
Gordon, Bartholomew, 
Hackett, Mary, 
Higgins, Kate, 
Horan, John, 



$10.00. 



Johnson, Mrs. 
Johnson, Mary, 
Lonergan, John, 
Lyons, James, 
McDermott, Bridget, 
McDonnell, Margaret, 
McGrane, Thomas, 
Mansfield, Johanna, 
Markey, Catharine, 
Meskill, Mary, 
Minogue, John, 
Morrisson, Rebecca, 
Murphy, Mary, 
Murphy, Andrew, 
Nolan, Jane, 
O'Brien, Johanna, 
O'Conner, Hanora, 
O'Conner, Hanna, 
O'Toole, John, 
Roach, Lizzie, 
Robeson, Mrs. 
Ryan, Ellen, 
Ryan, Catharine, 
Ryan, Patrick, 
Rutledge, Richard, 
Sheehan, Michael, 
Smith, Bridget, 
Smith, Patrick, 
Wall, Ellen, 
Wall, Johanna, 
White, Edward, 
A Friend. 



312 



Appendix. 



Dowd, James, 
Fitzgerald, Thomas, 
Hearty, Thomas, 



fo.oo. 

Johnson, Margaret, 
O'Toole, WilHam, 
Reilly, Thomas, 
Russell, Bridget. 



SUBSCRIPTIONS IN 1875. 



Gignoux, €.,$125.00 
Baxter, Hugh, $70.00 



Hally, Cornelius, 



Callahan, Patrick, 
Callahan, Jeremiah, 



Burke, Thomas, 
Burke, Eugene, 
Campbell, Michael, 
Eakley, James, 
Geoghegan, Mathew, 
Griffen, D. 
Goin, Stephen, 
Kenny, John, 



Welsh, Patrick, $100.00 
Degan, Thomas, $55.00 

$50.00. 

Nugent, Thomas, 
O'Brien, Martin. 

$30.00. 

Carr, John A. 
Collins, William. 

$25.00. 

Lowe, James, 
Martin, Bernard, 
McDermott, James, 
O'Brien, Maggie, 
O'Toole, William, 
Smith, John, New Vernon, 
Sweeney, Daniel, 
Sullivan, Agnes. 



Dacey, Michael, $22.00 



>20.00, 



Carroll, Eliza, 
Carroll, William, 
Carlin, Barney, 
Coleman, Patrick, 
Collins, James, 
Collins, John D. 
Coyle, Henry, 
Dolan, William, 
Donahue, Patrick, 
Doran, Malick, 



Lonergan, James, 
Looney, Michael, 
Lyons, James, 
Mclntee, William, 
McGrath, John, 
McLaughlin, Mary, 
McNeil, James, 
McGoulderic, Edward, 
Mahar, Margaret, 
Morris, John, 



Appendix, 



313 



Dowd, John, 
Elliott, James, 
Foley, William, 
Gaffney, John, 
Hally, James, 
Hand, Mary, 
Johnson, Mary, 
Kain, Peter, 



Garey, John, 
Gerdon, B. 
Hacket, Margaret, 
Mulloy, Elizabeth, 
Reily, Jane, 



Alexander, Gordon, 
Daily, Mrs. Mary, 
Dolen, Maria, 
Donahue, Lizzie, 
Doran, P. F. 
Hearty, Thomas, 
Huff, Mary, 



Murphy, Annie, 



Burns, Hanna, 
Cooney, Maria, 
Dempsey, Richard, 
Donahue, Annie, 
Dunn, Edward, 
Farrell, Andrew, 
Foley, John, 
Fitzgerald, Thomas, 
Griffen, Patrick, 
Hickey, Patrick, 
Higgins, Catherine, 



Murphy, Mrs. Morris, 
O'Melia, Mary, 
Smith, Patrick, 
Sullivan, Denis, 
Tallent, Henry, 
Vorholz, Frederick, 
Wall, William, 
Walsh, William. 

Ryan, Mary, $18.00 

$17.00. 

Reily, Eliza, 
Reily, Isabella, 
Reynolds, Thomas, 
Ryan, Patrick, 
Smith, Maria. 

$15.00. 

Lee, John, 
Morris, Daniel, 
Murray, Thomas, 
O'Brien, Maggie, 
Rutledge, Richard, 
Smith, Patrick, 
Shelley, Ellen, 
Wall, Ellen. 

Murphy, Mary, $13.00 

$12.00. 

McDermott, Mrs. B, 

$10.00. 

Manderville, Julia, 
Mansfield, Kate, 
Mansfield, Johanna. 
Mansfield, Michael, 
Markey, Laurence, 
Markey, Mrs. Catherine, 
Mayhon, Ann, 
Morris, Michael, 
Morisson, Rebecca, 
Nailor, Bridget, 
Norris, Mary, 



314 



Appendix. 



Kain, Delia, 
Kearns, Thomas, 
Lonergan, Edward, 
McAvoy, Catherine, 
McCarthy, Catherine, 
IVIcGoulderic, Mrs. 
:McKennic, Sarah, 
McShane, Bridget, 
3Iahar, Catherine, 



O 



Ballf, Judith F. 
Bambrick, Richard, 
Bermingham, WilUam, 
Donahue, Patrick, 
Doty, WilUam H. 
Doty, Mrs. 
Edwards, George, 
Kain, Emma, 



Norris, Julia, 
Norton, Mrs. Julia, 
O'Brien, Johanna, 
Ouinlan, Ellen, 
Robeson, Mrs. 
Russell, IMary, 
Scally, Patrick, 
Smith, Fanny, 
Stapleton, Ann, 
Walsh, Laurence. 

'Donnell, Bridget, S7.00 

$5.00. 

Lokeman, Delia, 
McCann, Margaret, 
Moran, George, 
O'Toole, EUza, 
Timmons, Annie, 
Timmons, Kate, 
Timmons, Francis, 
Wall, Mary, 
White, Maggie. 



CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NEW BAYLEY MEMORIAL 
SCHOOL IN 1886-1887. 



Farrelly, Patrick, S300.00 
Foote, John T., $250.00 
Lawless. James, $250.00 
Kelly, Mrs. Agnes, $200.00 
Welsh, Patrick, $200.00 



Campbell, Miss S. B. 
Cody, Morris, 
Condon, Morris E. 

York, Mrs. J.,S4o.oo 
O'Reilly, Dr. J. H.,$35-oo 



Revere, Paul, $150.00 
Burke, Eugene S., $125.00 
Lonergan, Jam.es, $100.00 
Flynn, Very Rev. J. M., $100.00 
Looney,E. J., $75-oo 

$50.00. 

Farrell, Rev. E. A. 
Holton, Thos. 
Knicrht, Charles K. 
Looney, W. J. 

Carroll, John, S30.00 
Degan, Thomas, S30.00 



Appendix. 



315 



Eeston, Maggie, 
Burke, Joseph, 
Burke, Thomas W. 
Carr, John A. 
Clifford, Thomas, 
Condon, E. T. 
Collins, J. D. 
Crimmins, Thomas, N 
Cummings, James, 
Dacey, Michael, 
Daly, Mrs. 
Daly, Lizzie, 
Dempsey, Mrs. R. F. 
Donahue, Patrick, 
Donahue, P. W. 
Doyle, John, 
Dunn, Bridget, 



$25.00. 

Dunn, Mary Ann, 
Kain, Peter M. 
Kain, Mrs. P. M. 
Ilelly, Dennis, 
McGoldrick, Edward, 
Malley, Thomas, 
Martin, Bernard, 
Meskill, Thomas, 
Mooney, Richard, 
Morrissey, Mrs. 
Murphy, James, 
Murray, Thomas, 
O'Brien, Martin J. 
O'Rourke, Bridget, 
O'Toole, Lizzie, 
Robeson, Mrs. J. M. 
Ryan, Patrick, 
Welsh, Mrs. Patrick. 

Rogers, Mrs. J., $24.00 



$20.00. 



Callahan, Jeremiah, 
Conroy, Maggie, 
Cooney, John, 
Daly, Peter, 
Dempsey, Thomas F. 
Doyle, John, 
Gibson, Robert, 
Gibson, Mrs. Robert, 
Hand, Mary, 
Hally, Cornelius, 
Keefe, Thomas, 
Keefe, William, 



Lane, Dennis, 
Lane, Mrs. J. K. 
Lowe, John H. 
McDermott, Mrs. 
McGuire, John, 
McKenzie, Kenneth, 
Mansfield, John, 
Mitchell, Margaret, 
Smack, Edward, 
Vorholz, Frederick, 
White, Edward, 
Wilson, Mrs. Robert. 



Burke, Frank, 
Callahan, John, 
Callahan, Mary T. 
Clifford, Mrs. T. F. 
Condon, Mrs. E. T. 



O'Connor, Alice, $16.00 

$15.00. 

Kenny, Mrs. B. J. 
Lowe, Thomas E. 
Manning, Mrs. 
Mulcahy, Maggie, 
Naughton, David, 



3i6 



Appendix. 



Costello, Ellen, 
Dempsey, Sophie, 
Finnessy, Kate, 
Kearney, William, 
Kenny, John J. 
Kenny, B. J. 



Ambrose, George, 
Belby, John, 
Cahill, Mrs. Mary, 
Callahan, Jeremiah J. 
Curley, Ivlrs. Hubert, 
Dempsey, Richard, 
Dempsey, R. F. 
Dempsey, WilHam, 
Dempsey, Lewis F. 
Dolan, William H. 
Dowd, John J. 
Doyle, James, 
Ducey, Thomas F. 
Dunn, William V. 
English, William A. 
Fennell, William P. 
Hackett, Michael, 



Barrett, Robert, 
Beston, James, 
Beston, Michael, 
Brady, James, 
Brady, Mrs. M. L. 
Cahill, Edward, 
Cahill, James, 
Camisa, Mrs. 
Callahan. Jeremiah, 
Callahan, Annie, 
Casey, Mary, 
Carroll, Bessie, 
Carroll, Ellen, 
Cavanagh, Annie, 
Cavanagh, Mary,. 



O'Connors, Bridget, 
Ronan, Kate, 
Ruckert, Hieronymus, 
Welsh, Bridget, 
Whelan, Margaret, 
White, Jeremiah. 
Leary, Norah, $13.00 

$12.00. 

Howard, P. J. 
Keefe, Thomas, 
Lonergan, John, 
Mansfield, William, 
Morrissey, Cornelius, 
Morrissey, Mamie, 
Murphy, Martin, 
Murphy, Joseph, 
Murphy, James, 
Nalley,' Joseph, 
Norris, Michael, 
Riley, ^Michael, 
Rutledge, Richard, 
Sheridan, Sylvester, 
Smith, :Mary, 
Welsh, Thomas, 
Welsh, Laurence. 

$10.00. 

McCarthy, Michael, 
McDerm.ott, James, 
McDermott, John, 
McEntee, Patrick, 
McGrath, Mrs. Maggie, 
McGrath, John, 
McLean, Julia, 
McSweeney, ]Martha, 
Manning, Mrs. 
Martin, Bernard, 
Markey, Laurence, 
Meskill, Daniel, 
Ivleskill, JuHa, 
Mitchell, Mrs. 
Mitchell, John, 



Appendix. 



317 



Cleary, John, 
Cody, Patrick, 
Cody, Thomas, 
Condon, Michael, 
Connors, Patrick, 
Connors, Michael, 
Costello, Agnes, 
Collins, James, 
Curley, Mrs. P. 
Dacey, Edward, 
Dacey, Maggie, 
Dacey, Daniel, 
Dempsey, E. V. 
Dempsey, Mrs. C. 
Dolan, Michael, 
Donahue, Kate, 
Donahue, Maggie, 
Donohue, Kate, 
Doran, P. F. 
Dowd, Bridget B. 
Doyle, Nora, 
Dunn, Mrs. Ann, 
Ducey, P. G. 
Dunn, Thomas, 
Eakeley, Ellen, 
Farrell, Mary A. 
Gallagher, James, 
Glanville, Julia, 
Gougherty, Lizzie, 
Gougherty, Minnie, 
Griffen, Patrick, 
Hall, Kate, 
Harris, Charles N. 
Hogan, Mrs. Mary, 
Hally, C.J. 
Holly, William, 
Holly, Patrick, 
Holly, James, 
Holly, Michael, 
Howard, Mrs. P. J. 
Kain, John, 
Keating, John, 
Kenny, Elizabeth, 



Mitchell, Annie, 
Mooney, William, 
Mooney, Mrs. Elizabeth, 
Mooney, William Jr. 
Mooney, Mrs. Richard. 
Monahan, Jeremiah, 
Moran, Annie A. 
Morris, Michael E. 
Morrissey, Bridget, 
Morrissey, Mary, 
Morrissey, Thomas, 
Morrissey, Mrs. 
Mulhall, Patrick, 
Murphy, John, 
Murphy, William, 
Murphy, Mrs. C. 
Murphy, Annie, 
Murphy, Benjamin, 
Nailor, Mary, 
Nailor, Francis, 
Naughton, John, 
Norris, M. P. 
Norton, Mrs. Julia, 
O'Brien, Martin, 
O'Connell, Mrs. 
O'Hara, Annie, 
O'Hara, Mr. 
Pegden, Alfred, 
Perkins, Maud, 
Perkins, Mary, 
Perkins, Grace, 
Quilty, Ann, 
Quinn, Bridget, 
Reynolds, Mary, 
Reynolds, Thomas, 
Riley, Owen, 
Robeson, Mary, 
Robeson, Kittie, 
Robeson, Genevieve, 
Russell, Bridget, 
Rutledge, Mrs. Richard, 
Ryan, William, 
Shay, Ella, 



3i8 



Appendix, 



Kilkenny, John, 
Kilkenny, Luke, 
Kilkenny, Patrick, 
Kirk, John, 
Lane, Mrs. D. 
Looney, Michael, 
Louan'stein, William, 
Lowe, W. J. 
Lyman, Michael, 
Lyons, Patrick, 
McCann, JuHa A. 
McCarthy, NelUe, 

Dowd, Mrs. John, $8.00 
Kelly, Thomas, $8.00 

Welsh 

Mulcahy, Mary, $7.00 
Hayden, Mary, $7.50 



Callahan, Joseph, 
Chadwick, Augustus, 
Coleman, Patrick, 
Condon, John, 
Condon, Delia, 
Fitzgerald, John, 
Holly, John, 

Banum, Mary, 
Belby, William, 
Belby, James, 
Belby, Mrs. John, 
Boylan, Margaret, 
Brennan, Bridget, 
Burns, Mrs. 
Cahill, James, 
Callahan, Mrs. 
Campbell, Rosetta, 
Campbell, Sarah, 
Campbell, Timothy, 
Carlin, Bernard, 
Carroll, Owen, 



Sharkey, Mrs. 
Sheridan, Catharine, 
Spain, Timothy, 
Sullivan, Mary, 
Sweeney, Mary, 
Sweeney, James, 
Tierney, John, 
Townley, Thomas, 
Wall, Catharine, 
Wallis, Annie, 
Welsh, Pierce, 
Whelan, Patrick, 

York, Lizzie. 

Murphy, Mrs. John, $8 
Riley, Mary, $8.00 

, Thomas F., $8.00. 

Welsh, Thomas, $7.50 
Welsh, Mrs. T., $7.50 



.00 



$6.00. 

Lyons, James, 
Mulhall, Mrs. P. 
O'Toole, Dennis, 
Prendergast, James, 
Prendergast, John, 
Rutledge, James, 
Rutledge, Mrs. James. 

$5.00. 

Lowe, Annie, 
Lowe, Lizzie, 
Lowe, James, 
Lowe, George, 
Lowe, Mary, 
Lucas, Edward, 
McAvoy, Thomas, 
McCarthy, Mrs. E. 
McCormick, Patrick, 
McCormick, John, 
McDermott, Peter, 
McDonald, Alexander, 
McDonald, Patrick, 
McGoldrick, Mrs. 



Appendix. 



319 



Carroll, Jacob, 
Cleary, William, 
Cleary, Mrs. 
Clifford, Lulu, 
Clifford, Bart, 
Coffey, John, 
Collins, Walter, 
Collins, James, 
Condon, Mrs. James, 
Connelly, Kate, 
Cooney, Mrs. J. 
Cools, Mrs. 
Costigan, John, 
Coyle, James, 
Cullen, Rose Ann, 
Cullen, Patrick, 
Cunningham, A. 
Cunningham, Ellen, 
Curley, Lizzie, 
Curley, Minnie, 
Curtaine, Mary, 
Dacey, John, 
Dempsey, John, 
Dempsey, Willie, 
Dempsey, R. H. 
Doran, Malachi, 
Doran, Annie, 
Doran, Mrs. P. 
Downey, P. 
Doyle, L. 
Doyle, Patrick, 
Doyle, Lizzie, 
Doyle, Mrs. John, 
Doyle, Joseph, 
Doyle, Mary, 
Drake, Edward, 
Driscoll, Florence Henry, 
Ducey, Adell, 
Dunn, Mrs. W. V. 
Dunn, Mary, 
Farrell, Kate, 
Fennell, Kate, 
Fitzgerald, Timothy, 



McGoldrick, Patrick, 
McGrath, Mrs. 
McGrath, Mrs. Mary, 
McGrath, Ellen, 
McGuire, Mary, 
McGuire, Sarah. 
Machy, Maggie, 
Malley, Kate, 
Maliey, Annie, 
Maloney, Mary, 
Mannion, Bridget, 
Mansfield, JuHa, 
Markey, Joseph, 
Mehan, Bridget, 
Mehan, James, 
Minogue, Julia, 
Minoguc, Edward, 
Mooney, Annie, 
Mooney, John, 
Mooney, Marcella, 
Monahan, Jerry, 
Moran, Mrs. J. 
Morrisson, Bridget, 
Morrissey, Mrs. 
Mulhall, James, 
Mulcahy, Bridget, 
Murphy, Mrs. C. R. 
Murphy, Margaret, 
Murphy, Mrs. 
Murphy, Mr. 
Murray, James, 
Myhan, Kate, 
Myhan, Annie, 
Noonan, John, 
Norris, Edward, 
O'Brien, Lizzie, 
O'Connell, Maggie, 
O'Connell, Annie, 
O'Connell, Mary, 
O'Donnell, Johanna, 
O'Donnell, Eliza, 
O'Neil, Henry, 
O'Rourke, Bridget, 



320 



Appendix. 



Flaherty, Mrs. 
Foley, Thomas, 
Foley, Ella, 
Fox, Mrs. D. L. 
Geary, Patrick, 
Geary, Michael, 
Glancy, Mrs. 
Glanv'ille, Mr. 
Gordan, Annie, 
Gowen, Edwin, 
Gowen, Julia, 
Hannon, Patrick, 
Hannegan, Margaret, 
Hannan, Patrick, 
Henry, Bridget, 
Heslin, Peter, 
Hillock, James, 
Holly, Mrs. William, 
Holly, Mrs. 
Hudson, Mrs. 
Hughes, Mrs. 
Hughes, Katie, 
Jackson, Eugene, 
Jordan, Annie, 
Jordan, Mary, 
Kearney, Mrs. 
Kearns, Mrs. 
Kearns, Thomas, 
Keary, Miss, 
Keefe, Margaret, 
Kelly, Kate, 
Kelly, Margaret, 
Kiely, Owen, 
Kilday, Annie, 
Kilkenny, Kate, 
Lane, Mrs. 
Lawless, Patrick, 
Lenahan, Katie, 
Leonard, James, 
Lonergan, Mrs. A. 
Lonergan, Edward, 
Lonergan, Daniel, 



Pentony, Kate, 
Pentony, Mary, 
Pentony, Thomas, 
Percy, Mrs. 
Percy, Clara, 
Petty, Seth, 
Pillion, Patrick, 
Powers, Michael, 
Quinlan, Ellen, 
Reilly, Eliza, 
Reilly, Mrs. Owen 
Reilly, Annie, 
Roache, Mrs. Charles, 
Rutledge, Mary, 
Ryan, Kate, 
Ryan, Sarah, 
Shea, James, 
Sheridan, Hugh, 
Sheridan, Sarah, 
Sheridan, Ellen, 
Shields, Patrick, 
Smith, Annie, 
Stack, Ellen, 
Sweeney, Catharine, 
Tankard, James, 
Thompson, Margaret, 
Tierney, Owen, 
Tobin, Katie, 
Trainer, John, Sr. 
Trainer, John, Jr., 
Tynan, Kate, 
Welsh, Laurence, 
Welsh, Mary, 
White, Maggie, 
White, Mary, 
White, John, 
White, Jeremiah, Jr., 
Williams, Michael, 
Woods, Mary, 
Wortman, John, 
Wyer, Lucy, 
York, Joseph, 
York, Harry, 



Appendix. 



321 



Condon, Mrs. M., $4.00 Norton, William, $4.00 

Fitzgerald, James, $4.00 O'Brien, Bridget, $4.00 

Evans, Mrs. Mary, $3.00 O'Donnell, Eliza, $3.00 

McDonald, Mrs., $3.00 White, Edward, $3.00 

O'Connell, Mary, $3.00 



Connors, Mary, 
Corbett, Thomas, 
Dorsey, Thomas, 
Dunn, Willie V., Jr. 
Dunn, Lizzie, 
Dunn, Thomas, 
Dunn, Joseph, 
Dunn, Catherine, 

Finnessy, Katie, $1.00 



S)2.00. 

Evans, Mary A. J. 
Felley, Mary, 
Foley, Ella, 
Geary, John, 

McDonoh, , 

Murray, MolHe, 
Price, Mrs. and family, 
Sweeney, Margaret. 

Murphy, per E. Murphy, $1.00 
Whelan, Nellie, $1.00 



CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NEW RECTORY IN 1890. 



Kain, Peter, and wife, $100.00 
Hart, J., and family, $100.00 
Welsh, P. and wife, $100.00 



Farrelly, Patrick, $500.00 
Burke, E. S., $100.00 
Lonergan, James, $100.00 

Condon, E. T., $50.00 Kelly, Mrs. H., $50.00 

Condon, M. E., $50.00 Malley, Thomas, $50.00 

Revere, Paul, $50.00 

$25.00. 



Burke, Joseph, 
Campbell, Sidney B. 
Clifford, T. F. 
Collins, John D. 
Cooney, John, 
Costello, Ellen, 
Dempsey, R. F. and wife, 
Dempsey, Thomas, 
Hayes, R. F. 
Hearney, William, 
Howard, P. J. and wife, 
Kenny, John J. 



Kenny, Mrs. 
Lawless, James, 
Manning, Mrs. J. 
Murphy, Moses, 
Murray, Thomas, 
O'Brien, Martin, Water St. 
O'Reilly, Dr. J. H. 
Quilty, Ann, 
Reilly, Owen, 
Robeson, Mrs. 
Ryan, Patrick, 
Sullivan, Mary, 



Willman, Frederick. 



322 



Appendix, 



Fitzgerald, Mr. 
Hally, Cornelius, 
Lowe, Annie, 



Brady, Mrs. and family, 
Clifford, Mrs. T. F. 
Dacey, Michael, 
McGrath, John, 



$20.00. 

Lowe, Lizzie, 
Morris, John, 
Norris, Mr. 
Rogers, Mrs. 

$15.00. 

Moran, Annie, 
Morrissey, Mr. 
Norris, Michael, 
Sheridan, Sylvester 
York, Mrs. 



Hackett, Mr., $12.00 



Belby, John, 
Boylan, Margaret, 
Buckley, Marcella, 
Burke, Frank, 
Cahill, Edward, 
Cahill, Mrs. 
Callahan, Jeremiah, 
Campbell, Mary, 
Campbell, Sarah, 
Campbell, Rosetta, 
Carr, John A. 
Cody, Nellie, 
Cody, Patrick, 
Coleman, Mary, 
Condon, Mrs. Johanna, 
Connors, Bridget, 
Connors, Michael, 
Cottrell, Maggie, 
Curley, Mary A. 
Cusack, Mary, 
Dacey, Maggie, 
Dempsey, Sophie, 
Donahue, Patrick, 
Doran, Malachy, 
Doyle, James, 
Doyle, John, 
Duffy, Annie, 



iIO.OO. 

Lane, Dennis, 
Larken, Kate, 
Lawless, P. J. 
Lonergan, Mrs. JuHa, 
McCann, Mary, 
McCarthy, NeUie, 
McCarthy, Mary, 
McCarthy, Miss and sister, 
McDermott, Mrs. 
McGoldrick, Edward, 
McGoldrick, Patrick, 
Mansfield, W. 
Markey, Lawrence, 
Mason, Thomas, 
Meskill, Julia, 
Meskill, Daniel, 
Meskill, Thomas, 
Mooney, Richard, 
Moran, Mary, 
Morrissey, Rosie, 
Morrissey, Thomas, 
Mulhall, Patrick, 
Murphy, James, 
Murray, Gertrude, 
Norris, Michael, 
O'Brien, Martin, 
O'Reilly, Annie, 



Appendix, 



323 



Duffy, Kate, 
Dunn, Wm. V. 
Dunn, E. T. 
Dunn, Jennie, 
Gallagher, James, 
Glanville, Frank, 
Glanville, Julia, 
Glanville, Mary J. 
Gogerty, Minnie, 
Hand, Mary, 
Hillock, Mrs. 
Holly, William, 
Holly, James 
Keefe, Mr. and Mrs. 
Kelly, Dennis, 
Kelly, Peter, 
Kenny, Bernard, 
Kilkenny, Lizzie, 

O'Rourke, Bridget, $7.00 

Rutledge, 



Allen, Annie, 
Anonymous, 
Anonymous, 
Baxter, Mr. 
Belby, James, 
Belby, John, 
Boyle, Rose, 
Brady, James, 
Burns, James, 
Burns, Mrs. Sarah, 
Cahill, Mary, 
Callahan, Mrs. 
Callahan, Margaret, 
Callahan, Josephine, 
Callahan, John, 
Carlin, Bernard, 
Carroll, Owen, 
Cash, 

Cashen, William, 
Clark, Margaret, 
Clifford, Lulu, 



O'Reilly, Isabella, 
O'Toole, Elizabeth, 
Pegden, Alfred, 
Percy, Mrs. 
Perkins, Miriam, 
Perkins, Mary E. 
Sheridan, Catharine T, 
Sweeney, Mary, 
Tighe, Maria, 
Tobin, Miss, 
Tranor, Miss, 
Walsh, T. J. 
Welsh, Mary, 
Welsh, Thomas F. 
White, Edward, 
White, Jeremiah, 
Wilson, Mrs. R. 
York, Elizabeth. 

Welsh, Nora, $7.00 
James, $6.00 

I5.00. 

Lonergan, M. 
Lonergan, Daniel, 
Louanstein, A. 
Lyman, Michael, 
McCarthy, Mai ia, 
McCormick, Maria, 
McCrystal, Patrick, 
McDermott, Mrs. J. 
McDermott, James, 
McDonald, Mary, 
McDonald, Miss, 
McDonnell, Augustine, 
McGrath, Mary, 
Mclntyre, Ellen, 
McMahon, Mary, 
McManus, Kate, 
Macaulay, Mary, 
Mahon, Annie, 
Maloney, Mary, 
Mansfield, Julia, 
Masterson, Patrick, 



324 



Appendix, 



Clifford, Bartie, 

Coffey, Mrs. 

Coffey, Nellie, 

Colligan, Teresa, 

CoUigan, Maggie, 

Costigan, John, 

Curley, Mrs. P. 

Curley, Mrs. 

Curley, Lizzie, 

CuUinan, Mary, 

Cullen, Rose Ann, 

Curran, Sarah, 

Dacy, Daniel, 

Dalton, Mr. 

Davis, Mary, 

Dempsey, Richard, 

Dempsey, Mrs. 

Dempsey, John and Willie, 

Donavin, Maggie, 

Dowd, John J. 

Dowd, Bridget, 

Downey, Bessie, 

Doyle, Joseph, 

Doyle, Maggie, 

Doyle, John, 

Doyle, Norah, 

Doyle, Lizzie, 

Doyle, Annie, 

Duffy, James, 

Dunn, Mrs. 

Dunn, William, 

Duriss, Annie, 

Eakeley, Lucy, 

Eakeley, Mary, 

Farrell, Andrew, 

Farrell, Kate, 

Fennell, John E. 

Fennell, Maggie, 

Finnessy, Mary, 

Gahan, Thomas, 

Gibson, Mrs. 

Gibson, Robert, 

Gilligan, Annie, 



Mehan, Ellen, 
Mehan, Mrs. 
Mehigan, Kate, 
Minogue, E. J. 
Mooney, William, 
Mooney, Annie, 
Moran, Maggie, 
Morrissey, Mrs. 
Morrissey, Catharine, 
Morrissey, Mary, 
Morrissey, Cornelius, 
Mowbrey, T. W. 
Mulcahy, Maggie, 
Mulrooney, Mrs. 
Murphy, Mrs. P._ 
Murphy, Annie, 
Murphy, John, 
Murphy, Anastatia, 
Nalley, Mrs. 
Nancarrow, J. 
Naughton, John, 
Nolan, Ellen, 
O'Brien, Mary, 
O'Connell, Jane, 
O'Connell, Mary, 
O'Hara, Mr. 
O'Hara, Annie, 
O'Melia, Mary, 
O'Reilly, EUza, 
O'Toole, Annie, 
Perkins, Maude, 
Phelan, Annie, 
Pillion, Kearn, 
Pillion, Patrick, 
Price, Mrs. 
Purcell, Nellie, 
Quigley, Catharine, 
Quilty, Maggie, 
Quinlan, Ellen, 
Raynolds, Thomas, 
Rogers, William, 
Ryan, Mary, 
Ryan, Sarah, 



Appendix. 



325 



Glancy, Bridget, 
Glennon, Mr. 
Graham, Nellie, 
Griffin, Patrick, 
Gogerty, Bernard, 
Healey, Ellen, 
Hickey, Mary, 
Higgens, Mary, 
Holly, John, 
Hughes, R. 
Hyland, Kate, 
Kain, Michael, 
Keefe, Thomas, 
Kelly, Mary, 
Kelly, Mrs. P. 
Kenny, Jane, 
Kettle, Annie, 
Kilkenny, Luke, 
Lane, Mrs. D. 
Langan, Annie, 



Russell, Mary, 
Rutledge, Mary, 
Scully, Julia, 
Scully, Mary, 
Sharkey, Bessie, 
Sheridan, Hugh, 
Sheridan, Nellie, 
Sheridan, Sarah, 
Shields, Mrs. P. 
Smith, Ellen, 
Tallent, Mrs. 
Thompson, Margaret, 
Vernon, James, 
Vorholz, Frederick, 
Walsh, Mary, 
Welsh, Lizzie, 
Welsh, Thomas and Annie, 
Welsh, Pierce, 
Whelan, James, 
Woods, Margaret. 
Wyer, Lucy, 



INDEX 



A. Asylum, 90. 

B. Bandol, 12, 14. 
Baptisms, 289, 302. 
Bayley, 39, 46, 74, 94. 
Bazars, 196, 213. 
Beeston, 10. 

Bell, 127. 

Boisaubin, 31, 44. 

Bottle Hill, Church at, 4, 29, 44. 

Brockholes, 10. 

Bulger, 30. 

C. Catholic Benevolent Legion, 284. 
Celtic Names, 25. 
Cemetery, 91, 146. 

Church, 37, 42, 136, 149. 
Condit Property, 163. 
Congress, 220. 
Corner-stone, 75. 
Corrigan, 84. 

D. D'Arcy, 58. 
Dark Ages, 30. 
Decoration Day, 237. 
Donors, 144, 154, 171, 175, 192, 

202. 

E. Excursions, 152, 207. 

F. Farmer, 8, 25, 288. 
Financial Statements, 303. 
Flynn, 92, 116, 173, 196, 214. 
Flag-raising, 230. 
Friendly Sons, 234, 249. 

G. Graessl, 11. 
Grey Nuns, 260, 



H. 



Herard, 31, 45. 
Hoey, 50. 
Hospital,- 258. 
Howell, 36. 
Hughes, 42. 



/. Jubilee, 175. 
L. 



Kearney, 20. 

League of Sacred Heart, 257. 
Lectures, 205, 218, 237. 
Littell, 27. 
Luzerne, 13. 



M. Madden, 49, 59. 

Marriages, 288, 298, 301. 

Mayor, 285. 

McCloskey, 31. 

Mc Govern, 68. 

McGowan, 48. 

McNulty, 51. 

McQuaid, 37, 86, 150, 177, 183. 

Memorials, 278, seq. 

Miralles, 11, 27. 

Missions, 211. 

Moran, 5. 

Morris Plains, 131, 140. 

Mortality Bill, 300. 

Moylan, 11. 

O. O'Donahue, 29, 44. 
O'Hara, 26, 29. 

P. Picnic, 52. 
Plays, 256. 
Power, 45. 



326 



Index, 



327 



R. Rectory, 235, 239. 

Records, War, 272, seq. 
Remarkable Cures, 178, 216. 
Revere, 270. 

S. Schneider, 8. 

School, Bayley, 47, 53, 58, 154, 

170, 176, 183, 192, 195, 283. 
Senez, 32. 
Shea, 10, 19. 
Sheeran, 70, 81, ^^^ 91. 
Sisters, 133, 157, 170, 284. 
Societies, 124, 189, 194. 
St. Margaret's, 167, 238, 248. 
St. Patrick's Day, 22, 230. 



St. Virgil, 139, 143, 215. 

Students, Ecclesiastical, 284. 

Strike, 254. 

Steuben, 14. 

Subscriptions, Various, 304, seq. 

T. Temperance Society, 59, 147. 

W. Washington, it, 13, 14, 18, 22,55. 
Wigger, 125, 142, 184, 193, 238. 

Y, Young, 50. 

Young Men, 134, 285. 
Young Men's Building, 191, 199, 
207. 



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